The Ties that Bind Us Together
by xstoptheworldx
Summary: Troy Bolton just moved into his best friend's place in NM after spending a lifetime in Los Angeles. Being the son of a billionaire who just got locked up, Troy doesn't know what to expect. Til he meets the girl of his dreams, Gabriella Montez, who has an abusive boyfriend and a few issues of her own. Can they find some common ground? Troyella& Chaylor.
1. Chapter 1

**G**

The broom.

I glanced at it from afar, realizing that had to be my best shot, my escape, and my way out. I wasn't afraid. He never once scared me. I only wanted to scare him, petrify him, to be honest. I wanted him to be so terrified of me that he would leave me and never come back.

My universe went up in flames for a spare moment as I planned out my revenge. I yearned to cause him such pain, something like the pain he causes me having to wake up as _his _every day. Such dark thoughts in my brain, I couldn't find a light anymore. Everything I once knew had been taken away from me – my purpose, my dignity, my friends and family. He destroyed anything that meant something to me. And all I had left was insanity. No thoughts, no feelings, I was emotionless.

Adrenaline kicked in as I smacked him with that broom, watching him wince in pain as he attempted to reach out to me, to stabilize me, grabbing me by the shoulders, telling me this was crazy. However, I found it perfectly normal. I wasn't backing down any time soon. I wanted him to suffer. I hit him again, more forcefully this time, hoping to get my point across. With fire igniting in his eyes, he shoved me against the wall.

Tears of agony burned my eyes but I wouldn't let them fall. I wanted to be in control. I was sick and tired of being pushed around. I wanted to be strong and stand up for myself. If it meant literally kicking him where it hurts, I would, no hesitation. My heart was broken after all. It had turned to stone and I couldn't bring it back to life. Not now. Not ever.

The shove wasn't that bad. What's bad was what came next. He elbowed me in the stomach, causing me to fall to the ground, defeated. I cried out in discomfort as the tears spiraled down my cheeks. I was nothing now. He had won, as he always does. For once, there was no sign of regret in his eyes.

That was when I realized – I had fallen in love with a monster.

College was the light at the end of a dark tunnel. It was where I ran off to when things got hard. Actually, it's where I ran off to when things were easy. I buried myself in books often. One day, I would be successful, one day I would get into medical school, and one day, I would be put together again.

My roommate was asleep when I snuck out of the apartment. I did this almost every day. I would go off to the library on campus and fill my brain with Anatomy terms and images of the cadavers we were viewing in class. My roommate, Sharpay, thought I was foolish and that I should be out like every other college student, partying and hooking up with guys. At least, that's what she did.

I preferred the latter. He wouldn't let me go out. I could barely go out looking nice. It would make him suspicious, as if I were going to meet a guy or something. He was very insecure and did not trust anyone. If I ever defied him, things would only get worse. So I kept myself safe, studying and never going out.

Sharpay slept a lot, mostly because she was hung over half the time. We were like opposites. She was the outgoing, independent party animal, while I was the introvert. I barely socialized and I often depended on someone who wasn't reliable at all. He was anything but.

Sometimes, I envied Sharpay's freedom. I wished to go out and do what I pleased once in a while.

I was embarrassed that I lead such a boring life and I wanted to hide that from her as much as possible. Sharpay _was _the it girl on campus, after all. She had been with every good-looking boy that set foot in Albuquerque and she had tons of girlfriends.

In the University of Albuquerque, everybody knew Sharpay's name. Nobody knew my own. So in a way, I wanted to impress her, in hopes of one day, _maybe_ becoming her friend.

That day was far from today though. I was still stuck in a nightmare and for some reason; I just couldn't break free of it.

The library was so quiet at night. It was so late that everybody already was off in bed or at some party at the Fraternity or Sorority house. On campus, the library stayed open 24-7. It used to have set hours but one student requested it would be open all hours, so students could study whenever they wished to. With a tremendous increase in grades, they decided it was for the better good.

Satisfied, I plopped down on one of the chairs and opened up my Chemistry textbook, taking notes on the chapter we reviewed the other day during class. Sure, the library was a bit eerie at this hour of the night but I was used to the silence. The silence actually calmed me and made me forget my troubles.

My cell beeped a few times and I was getting text messages from Vic.

Victor Bauswell was my boyfriend of almost three years. There was a moment in time where I believed Vic was my soul mate, the earth, the moon, and the sun. Now, things had changed. Control and manipulation had taken over and I was not strong enough to take him on, full force. I had assaulted him a few times, threatening him with a gun, a knife, and other dangerous objects. He didn't scare me. A part of me hoped he would severely injure me once, just so I had a reason to go to the police. Again, he didn't scare me. I knew he wouldn't dare kill me or anything like that. However, what he would do to himself, or some other person… that was a different story.

He was asking where I was, where I disappeared to. He needed to know my every move, to make sure I didn't stray from my leash. My concentration was now gone and I couldn't bear to look at my text books anymore. I was torn up by the constant nagging and I could barely handle myself any longer. So many things bottled up, so little people to confess my feelings to.

I headed back to the apartment, throwing my bag and extra books onto the counter in the kitchen. As you would expect, the kitchen and the living-room were connected. The space was small, nothing to really brag about. College kids never had that much money so rent was a problem.

How I managed to get stuck with Sharpay as my roommate was a whole new story. I had placed an ad in the newspaper and she must have sought it out. She was desperate to get out of her parent's mansion and wanted to relocate to somewhere closer to the party houses. Well, she got what she wanted and barely said three words to me since. She was always sleeping or out having a good time when I was around. Hence, we never really had the time to converse…

I laid my head down onto the bed after changing into my pajamas and put my phone on silent. I had wished Vic a good night and told him I loved him. Who was I kidding? I had stopped loving him the day I hit him with that broom and he slammed me into the wall. I felt sick at just the thought.

One day, I promised myself, I'd reach my happy ever after.

* * *

**T**

Basketball.

The greatest sport known to mankind. Basketball always took the edge off for me. And right now, I really needed it.

I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. I was brought up watching Bryant, Bynum, Gasol, and Blake play for the Lakers, earning front row seats with my dad. I spent plenty of time going to the hills and partying with Miley Cyrus, Lauren Conrad, Heidi Montag, and Paris Hilton. I had grown accustom to the constant warm weather, the tall palm trees, and the Oceanside right behind my house. In LA, I had a life. And now, my life was in shambles.

I glanced around wearily. I hated being the new guy, the one that everyone gawked at and gossiped about. I never knew what it felt like. Now was my chance.

I was brought to Albuquerque; New Mexico by what I considered was the worst day of my life. It was on a Tuesday, at the end of July. It was a normal day, just like any other. I spent the day at the beach, surfing the waves and hanging out with a few of my closest friends. California, probably one of the greatest places to live if you have the money. Fortunately, my parents could have bought an island had they wanted to. My father owned half a billion dollars. Then again, this was one of the main reasons why things happened like it did. Luck never lasted, nor did happiness.

I lived on a street called the Stratford Circle, in a house that was worth about 8 million. My father probably could have gotten a nicer house but there was no real point. Mostly because there was only me, him, and my mother. My parents never had any more kids and they didn't plan on it. In spite of being filthy wealthy, my dad was a penny pincher, probably the reason why he had so much money. Sure, he whipped out a thousand for me and told me to take a hike, but he thought I was a good waste of space and time. I was just a punk kid – coming in drunk and living the Los Angeles lifestyle that every adolescent dreamed for.

My father bought a couple houses here and there when he was younger, thinking nothing of it. He had a little dream and he just continued to pursue it. He remodeled the house with some help from his friends and then resold the house, doubling the price he originally started with. Eventually, after moving away from a small town with a couple hundred thousands, he was out to make mansions. He became the king of reality and owned half the mansions in Los Angeles. But on the side, I had no idea he was doing other things – such as dealing… dealing in the wrong places.

There were a couple of times I'd come and spot strange men parked alongside the road. They had no way of entering our house; we had topnotch security, after all. I figured they were paparazzi, trying to find one of the local celebs half-naked or something along those lines. Because of my dad's fortune, I often got the chance to hang out with the celebs. And honestly, a lot of them were just like you would think – stuck up their own asses.

That fateful Tuesday something happened. I came home and things were eerily silent. The kind of silent where you'd hear a coin fall onto the floor. And when I arrived, my mom was waiting for me. She had a look on her face, the kind of look I would expect her to have if someone in the family passed away. It's like, she wanted to tell me something, but she couldn't find the words to say. It was written all over her face. She was miserable, and hated to make me feel her pain.

I was never a respectful kid. I always liked to run my mouth. I was a smart-ass. I was disobedient and never followed the rules. Like I mentioned before, I was out every night, partying like every kid dreamed of doing. College was a possibility in my future, since I was out of high school. I decided to take the summer off to have some fun. I was planning on attending USC. I had already been accepted and it was pretty much set in stone. Their basketball team wasn't so bad either. That's all I really wanted to do – play some basketball.

I was bound to be rude to my mom, ask her what was up. But something about that look on her face told me not to say anything, to just wait for her, patiently. When she did speak, she was speaking in a hushed voice, like it was a secret I should never tell.

My father was in trouble. He was caught doing a very sly drug deal, with one of his best buyers. Turns out, his best buyer had been an undercover cop the entire time. My mother also mentioned that apparently my dad was having some trouble with money, which is why he was doing the drug deals to begin with. Even with a billion dollars, he couldn't handle all the money. He had invested a lot of it into a house in a different country, hoping to triple his money and because the market was down, he couldn't sell it, leaving him short of a couple billion.

A part of me wanted to believe it was a joke. My throat dried as she continued to tell me. As she persevered, her words began to sound like a jumbled mess. My mom was trying so hard to keep herself from falling apart. And I admired her for that. The fact that she stood by my dad and didn't leave him when he was doing all of this kind of shocked me. A part of me was angry, wishing she had left, or at least told me about it. I hated my dad for putting us through such a thing.

My mom's eyes were always animated and happy. I rarely saw her upset. And looking into her eyes, on that Tuesday, I could see right through her. With a teary smile she mentioned to say, "We'll get through this, Troy."

A whimper escaped her lips for the first time and I knew she was going to break. Feeling for her and for the situation, I held her, letting her languish. As a guy, I was never one to show deep emotion. Even when girls broke my heart, I never shed a tear. But it was so hard for me to be upbeat while holding my fragile mother in my arms. I felt so betrayed by my dad, like he never thought of us. My mother was unemployed. She didn't need to work. And now, what was going to happen?

Were we left with nothing?

While she was sobbing, there was shouting heard from the upstairs. Minutes passed and my eyes rested on the man that ruined our lives as the police helped him descend down the stairs. The multibillionaire had nothing left now. He was once so high and now he was so low.

I watched him and noted the handcuffs at his backside. Blue eyes met blue and I knew the look I gave him was too much. He averted his gaze, finding the floor more interesting as they headed outside. He could see my millions of questions just by my look alone. And he could see the hatred and the hurt. The humiliation. How I was just disappointed in him. And how Mom was so broken, shattered on the ground.

Mom told me I needed to get away from Los Angeles, especially when my dad's trial hit the front page. I was no longer the cool guy that could go out and have a good time. Instead, I was left with absolutely no money and was forced to move out of my house, that million dollar house my father remodeled so well.

My mother went to my grandparents in search of comfort. She dragged me along and I was so uncomfortable there. My grandparents lived in Northern California, up by the Sierras. It was absolutely beautiful but a hell lot colder and mostly old folks resided up there. Plus, the only young people that did live there knew about my dad and stayed far away from me. My mother noticed how miserable I had become and decided the best thing for me was to get out of California.

I had an old friend in high school that I stayed in contact with. We always kept up to date on our lives and he was one of the few guys that I kept real with. I really valued his opinion and didn't want to lose his friendship. His name was Chad Danforth and he had left Los Angeles California after sophomore year in high school, heading towards Albuquerque, New Mexico. His parents had family there and he was kind of forced into the move, though he never wanted to leave California. When we talked on the phone, he often complained about the dryness of New Mexico, and the chill that came around winter time, dipping down to about 40 degrees. But all in all, he absolutely loved Albuquerque.

"Hoops, I've never met such great people." He once told me.

Chad thought the world of these people. He said he had made so many friends within such a little amount of time. When I told him about my dad and the whole situation, he was the only friend that really wanted to still hang around. He actually offered me a place, with him, at his apartment.

I declined his offer several times. That was a stupid idea. Wasn't it?

However, being around my grandparents and my mom, always wailing on about my father and how they had no money, I couldn't take it any longer. I was stressed out every day, being around them. They never did anything and I felt like I was losing my youth just being around them. So I did what I felt was best. I packed up my bags and headed off to New Mexico, to stay with my best friend Chad.

And now I was regretting that decision.

Everything was so… dry. There were mountains, and it was kind of a semi-desert atmosphere. It was all dirt and lucky for me, I wasn't wearing white shoes… or nice shoes.

It was gorgeous, nonetheless. I couldn't deny it took my breath away. But my heart was still in California. Realizing I wouldn't see the ocean for a long, _long_ time, my heart ached.

Chad's apartment was on campus. Campus was pretty cool, I'd admit. The weather was _miserable _though. It was summertime so of course, it was around ninety degrees. The white t-shirt I was wearing stuck to me, as did my _G-star _jeans. (My absolute favorite pair of jeans)

I didn't bother getting a haircut before leaving LA. I probably should have, since I spent all my money to get here. Another words, for once in my life, I was broke. Not the usual kind of broke, where you had about 50 dollars to your name. No, I had about 10 and that had to get me through the week. Luckily, I had an emergency account that had about 20 grand. I planned on putting that towards U of A, my new college.

This was definitely a whole new world for me.

The apartment I was looking for was Lido and Conquistador. I imagined they were probably the cheapest apartments you could find. Chad wasn't exactly made of money. Actually, most _normal _college kids were broke. I just grew up with a silver spoon in my mouth.

I parked my car on the side of the road, unsure where else to put it. I drove a '09 Audi Cabriolet. My father had bought it with cash. The car was a nice, shiny silver color and I hated leaving it around here unattended. I shivered at the thought of something happening to it then locked it up.

It was about noon when I headed up to the apartment's entrance. Most of the people I seen were about my age, probably college students. I could tell it was a rather big school, but at the same time, they all looked at me questioningly, like I was the new student, the outsider. And it really made me feel even more nervous. Sure, I was used to being the center of attention but… this time, I wasn't sure if I was going to make a good impression. I had no money, I had nothing left but my badass car and my pretty boy swagger and that just didn't seem good enough anymore.

I found Chad's apartment easily. It was in that moment, I realized I hadn't seen Chad in years. Sure, we spoke on the phone daily, and we sent tons of emails and text messages to each other. He knew me better than my friends back in LA. Still, there was a part of me that was a bit uneasy about seeing him. I didn't want him to feel sorry for me, or treat me like I was anything less of a man just because my dad was a total asshole. I just hoped he wouldn't bring it up.

Chad opened the door with a big smile on his face and I then knew I was in the right place. Instead of us doing some handshake like we used to do, he surprised me by pulling me into a very big hug. I knew anyone could see my discomfort. Chad was definitely more… benevolent then I was. I often called him a douche because he liked to get all mushy on me when he was drunk. There were nights when he called me, crying over how he was hopelessly in love with a girl that never noticed him. And then at the end of the conversation, he would tell me how great of a guy I was for listening to his sob stories. Basically, Chad wasn't afraid to be expressive.

Realizing he was practically crushing and freaking me out a little, Chad backed up. "Hoops, it's been so long!"

"Yeah, I know."

Chad definitely looked about the same though. He still had the same crazy curls. He wasn't so scrawny anymore though, he gained some muscle. He was about as tall as I was now.

He directed me into his apartment which was a complete mess. The kitchen and living-room were connected. I noticed there were a few pizza boxes stacked on the kitchen counter. They looked aged too. I wasn't exactly a clean freak but…

I laid my bag down on the kitchen table, taking in the environment around me, observing my new home. It wasn't bad.

"So, what do you think?" Chad asked, interrupting my thoughts.

I scratched the back of my head – a bad habit of mine. "It's cool. Quaint, but pretty cool, man."

"You think? It's so cheap. Still puts me in the hole, but ya know, it's a place!"

I chuckled.

"So, your new bed will be the couch… for now. My roommate is kind of a dick. But hey, if you bribe him enough, he might let you have his room. He's never home." Chad informed me, tilting his head towards the living-room.

My blue eyes scanned over my new 'room'. It wasn't bad. It was more like a gaming room then a living room. There were an endless amount of video games scattered on the floor, an Xbox 360, along with some other accessories for the game system. The couch looked… alright. It didn't look very comfortable. It was a ripened brown color. I bet Chad found it at a garage sale. Seriously. He was that frugal.

I tried not to cringe at the thought of what's happened on that couch.

I was about to make a smart-ass comment when Chad's roommate barged in. He didn't look like he was in his right mind. His eyes were all bloodshot and he was huffing as he stormed passed us, heading to what I presumed was his room. I raised an eyebrow, glancing over to Chad.

"What's with him?" I asked.

Chad exhaled sharply. "That's Vic. He's a little odd. He spends more time getting drunk then going to class. But he still pays his share of the rent. Once you get to know him, he's kind of cool."

Cool? He didn't seem so 'cool'. I analyzed Chad's expression – there was something he wanted to say but he was holding back.

I decided not to dwell on it. "So what's the game plan?"

Chad grinned. "I'm gonna give you a tour of the campus… or well… the cool parts of the campus."

"Sounds good."

I grabbed my bag, throwing my IPhone in it as Chad looked for his keys.

I hadn't seen his roommate creep into the kitchen, beginning to raid the fridge until he was looking right at me. "Who's this?"

He was kind of rude and that irritated me. I wasn't as easygoing as I used to be. I was never down with people like him, thinking they were hot shit when they really weren't. Yeah, I was pretty egotistical. But I hated people that were anything like me.

"This is my friend, Troy. He moved here from LA." Chad told him, warily.

Chad looked at me, almost apologetic for Vic's shitty attitude.

"What's up man?"

Vic's eyebrow rose at my question. He got out a beer from the fridge. "Nothin'. LA, huh? What brings you here?"

I hated this dreadful question. "You know, needed a change of scenery. Plus Chad and I go back."

"Course. You two would be a match made in heaven," He took a swig of his Bud Light. "How long you stayin'?"

"Actually, I was gonna… get a job here." I had to force the words out of my mouth. Troy Bolton, a job? God, that was so… wrong.

My whole life I never had to work. My dad always gave me money. I've basically mooched off of my folks. And now, the thought of actually going into the real world, getting spit on and making minimum wage sounded like a nightmare. I wasn't oblivious. I watched other people bust their ass and I always snickered and thought, "Glad that's not me."

"A job? Do people of your kind even work?"

I frowned. "Of my kind? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

He slammed his beer down on the counter. "I dunno. You just seem like the type of guy who… doesn't work? You just sit around and look pretty." He kind of giggled, drunkenly.

"Screw you, man, you know nothing about me." I fought back, biting down on my lip. I had to my restrain myself from kicking this guy's arrogant ass.

"Hey, Vic, stop being a dick," Chad jumped in, "Troy's cool. He's been through a lot. And honestly, he could totally kick your ass."

I smirked.

Vic just threw the beer bottle in the trash, grabbing his car keys and slamming the door on his way out.

"Evidently, it's his time of the month." I snickered.

Chad just shook his head. "He's been like that a lot lately. Think him and his girlfriend are just going through something, you know?" He looked elsewhere, as if lost in his thoughts. "Anyways. You ready for a field trip?"

Chad pretty much showed me the highs and lows of U of A. It wasn't something special. There was no comparison to UCLA. It was a nice college but there were a few things missing. The athletics weren't half as great and the fitness center _sucked_. The girls were ordinary girls next door and nothing about them interested me.

We headed towards the Center of the Arts. Chad had told me what every building consisted of, where I'd find my general classes, where I'd find the bookstore/library, etc. He even told me about where the 'love of his life' resided most of the time. I could only roll my eyes. He was still dreaming.

However, as he was wheezing on and on about a girl named Taylor McKessie, a beautiful blonde goddess had stumbled out of the building, dragging a boy who could have been her twin with her. My eyes wouldn't stray away from her as she came closer to us, arguing with the boy next to her. Her voice was venomous but it didn't matter.

Chad was still rambling on about Taylor when the girl noticed my eyes. She reacted with a small smile and then handed the boy next to her all of her books and sauntered towards us.

I panicked. She was hot as hell, and she was coming towards me!

"Hey Chad… _new guy_," She greeted.

She wore a pink dress that barely covered her thighs.

"Sharpay." Chad's attention was now on the jewel in front of us.

The boy that was next to her came up from beside her. "Sharpay, what—"

"Shut up, Ryan." She tossed her golden hair to the side. "We haven't met yet, have we?" Her golden eyes seduced me in the sunlight.

Chad was grimacing from beside me. It seemed like they knew each other.

"Not yet," I breathed. "I'm Troy, Troy Bolton."

She smirked. "Hi, Troy Bolton. I'm Sharpay, Sharpay Evans." She then looked over to her twin next to her. "And this is my brother, Ryan."

"Nice to meet you." I said, genuinely.

"Sharpay, what do you _want_?" Chad asked, folding his arms.

"Who says I want anything?"

"… With you, there's _always _a motive." He responded, shaking his head.

Yeah, they must have had a run in at one point. Chad seemed to disfavor Sharpay a lot. Even Ryan seemed a little aggravated with this conversation.

"There's a party tonight, _Troy Bolton_. You can come if you want. My best friend's holding it." Sharpay gave me a tantalizing grin. Then, she glanced over to Chad, frowning. "And I _guess _he can come too. Only if he behaves."

She grabbed her brother by the arm, leaving us.

I watched her walk away.

"Troy. _Don't_," Chad lectured.

"Don't what? By the way, I take back what I said… there _are_ some hot girls here, Chad. At least, I found one." I smirked.


	2. Chapter 2

**G**

_Beep, beep, beep._

For a second, I thought the vibrating sound was coming from my dreams. To my dismay, it was my cell phone.

Half-asleep, I didn't even bother checking my caller-ID. "Hello?"

"Gabi… thank God."

I should have known better.

"Vic… what on earth…"

"Gabi, I'm kind of in a situation." He garbled.

Of course, he was drunk. He was slurring his words and calling me _Gabi. _He never called me that unless he was boozed up.

I imagined he was stranded in one of our local bars.

"Where are you?"

Normally, Chad Danforth was the babysitter when it came to Vic and his late nights.

Chad and Vic were like day and night to be frank. Chad was the nice guy who finished last. He was friends with pretty much everyone on campus and went out of his way to make good impressions. Albeit, his life revolved around basketball and nothing but, he was always there for those who were less fortunate. Vic wasn't always the worst person. At one point, he was compassionate, he had a big heart. Then one day, something changed inside of him. And when his parents got into a car accident, it just set him off. Chad thought Vic was just going through something, that he just needed some time.

Chad and I were never close friends. We were by no means acquaintances. We had spoken a few times, like at the Bauswell's funeral. I held Vic's hand through it all as he stubbornly stared at the ground. Chad was there, an indescribable look on his face. Vic had unleashed his anger and sadness out on me and Chad comforted me a little, saying Vic probably didn't mean a word he said.

However, besides that, Chad and I didn't really see eye-to-eye.

"O'Niell's." There was hesitation. Maybe Vic had forgotten.

O'Niell's was one of his routine places. It was on Central Ave and not too far from campus.

I changed into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, throwing my hair into a messy ponytail. I wasn't too particular about my appearance at this moment. I could have cared less what anyone thought. Especially Vic and his drunkenness.

Rolling my eyes, I grabbed my purse and headed out to my Mustang.

My Mustang was definitely one of my most prized possessions. When Vic was ill-tempered, he would threaten to damage my vehicle. I had gotten the loan myself and was making expensive payments on it. Having two jobs on campus, I barely made enough money to pay for it. But it drove well and it made everyone stare. I think it just scared Vic that other guys noticed my car. And me in it.

The streets in Albuquerque were dead at night. However, the one thing I enjoyed about living here was I never felt unsafe. Albuquerque was pretty immense in size but the people weren't so bad. Although half of the population was Latino, the Latino's were kind of their own group. They stayed in a certain part of the city, leaving the rest of us alone. I had never visited that part of Albuquerque and I hoped to never.

I entered O'Niell's, spotting out one of my best friends behind the bar. His name was Shamichael. With a pair of black dress pants, a matching black vest and a white blouse underneath, Shamichael looked classy. He was dark-skinned and often charmed the ladies with his humor. Vic, Shamichael and I had grown up together. Shamichael did have a few kids and was a bit older then us, but his dad owned O'Niell's and we visited him a lot.

He gave me a sympathetic look as I followed his brown eyes.

There was Vic, on one of the barstools, just staring intently at the empty glass antecedent to him.

I blushed, embarrassed that I was here.

Shamichael approached me. "Hey girl. He's not lookin' too good."

I didn't avert my eyes from Vic. "I know. You called Chad?"

"Tried. He said he was out all night with his new roommate, and that he didn't wanna deal with it."

I ignored the rush of vexation I felt. Was I envious that Chad actually could have _fun_? That he wasn't confined like I was?

I shook off the thoughts and headed towards Vic.

"Good luck." Shamichael offered me a smile, but it didn't seem very real.

Vic's head rested on the surface in front of him. He was passed out.

"Vic, come on. We gotta get out of here."

I heard him grumble as a response.

"Vic." I repeated, now tugging on his shoulders.

I knew I wasn't the strongest person in the world. But I mustered up enough to get him out of that barstool.

"Gabi… you're the best." He muttered, sloppily.

I gave Shamichael a weak wave on my way towards the door, one of my arms tucked underneath Vic's torso, attempting to steady him.

Vic wasn't trying very hard.

I was shocked we made it to the car. I unlocked the passenger seat and practically had to shove him into it. He giggled at this, but his head was back down when I got him in. I knew it was only a matter of time before he would pass out again.

The ride to Chad's was quiet. But silence was always golden between Vic and me. The norm consisted of fighting and screaming. This was lush.

A few times I heard him snore. I knew I was frowning. And cracking my knuckles in my lap. However, I didn't break once. I didn't have the energy to lecture him tonight.

Chad's apartment wasn't too far from the bar. I parked on the side of the road and groaned, realizing I would have to get Vic out of the car.

He was asleep again and I had to lightly tap him to wake him. Then, I dragged him towards Chad's floor.

I knew it was late. I hadn't really checked my watch but I figured it must have been at _least _3 AM. That was the time that Vic usually called when in a quandary.

To my luck, Vic couldn't find the keys to the apartment for the life of him. I actually searched through his pockets since he was too lethargic to bother. And his wallet… still, they were nowhere.

He must have lost them… _again_.

I called Chad's cell phone, not wanting to rudely knock on the door and wake him. Withal, Chad didn't answer. And I got nervous.

With a shaky hand, I knocked on the door, hoping for some sort of miracle. Maybe Chad was still up. _Maybe_…

With no answer, I went at it again. I was desperate to get rid of Vic from my arm. He was so heavy and I could barely keep him upright.

The knock was louder this time. And I was completely surprised when the door flung open. Instead of being greeted by Chad's ever-so-famous slogan t-shirt, I was staring blankly at a _very _ripped torso, with a bleak line of hair trailing down to a more nether region, which was unfortunately covered by a pair of basketball shorts. My God, this boy must be _obsessed _with working out.

My face reddened and my eyes snapped to the face.

"Oh. Great. Hey Chad! Super douche is back!" He bellowed out; as if Chad may be awake somewhere.

Vic was far too disheveled to make a response. He could only glare which made this shirtless guy grin, as if he won something.

Shirtless guy took a step back. That's when I took a second to marvel at his face. He was very good-looking. His hair was a bit long and almost fell into his eyes but there was something alluring about this. And his eyes were a deep blue. I'm sure plenty of girls got lost in them.

I guessed him and Vic met before, for Vic, being as intoxicated as he was, managed to throw shirtless guy another glare.

Finally, Chad came into view. He looked exhausted. I felt extremely guilty for interrupting his REM sleep.

Chad approached us and without saying a word, he took Vic's other side and helped me direct Vic towards his bedroom.

Vic crashed onto the bed and within seconds, he was in a different world.

I looked at Chad, who was yawning and scratching the back of his neck. "He's a mess."

"I know."

I sighed and pulled up a chair to Vic's bedside. Chad observed for a second then got the idea, stopping on his way out.

"You got this?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"…. Thanks, Gabriella."

In the darkness, I gave him a forced smile.

I tangled my hands through Vic's thick mop of dirty-blonde hair. To think he was once my universe made my heart hurt. He looked so at ease right now. It made me wonder if the old Vic was somewhere inside of him, that he just got lost.

Realizing this was nothing more than just wishful thinking; I put the covers around the frame of his body and then turned off the small lamp in the corner of the room.

Exiting his room, I seen Chad and shirtless guy were still up. Chad was whispering inaudibly to his new roommate. I assumed they were talking about Vic and his current predicament. I could tell shirtless guy wasn't so impressed. Chad was defending Vic, as he always does.

Both of them stopped their gossiping when they noticed me.

"Gabs," Chad breathed, his eyes darting from me back to shirtless guy.

Tired as I was, I really just wanted to go back to my apartment and get some sleep. I _did _have classes tomorrow, didn't they?

Shirtless guy was leaning against the kitchen counter, a water bottle in his hand. I disregarded the fact that the muscles in his stomach were so perceptible while he did this. It didn't matter. I was Vic's. I had no right to stare.

"This is my new roommate, Troy. He just moved here from LA. Troy, this is Gabriella." Chad introduced us.

Troy… or previously known as 'shirtless guy' had his eyes on me. I felt uncomfortable, trying my best to be civil. But being civil was hard. His beautiful blue eyes were penetrating me the best they knew how.

"Why do you go out with that asshole?" Troy blurted.

Chad sent him a glare, lecturing him with one look.

I myself was a bit surprised by his question. Though, he had the right to wonder. Who wouldn't? I was a nice girl. And I was putting up with quagmire every day because of Vic. What was so appealing that made me stick around him? He was a mess and he treated me like I was his slave. He controlled me.

The introvert in me came out first. With a fleeting glance at Troy, I ran for the door, my keys in my hand. I couldn't answer the question. I didn't _need _to. Troy and I barely knew each other. He didn't know Vic either. He had no reason to meddle into the situation and ask obtuse questions. Even Chad knew that. Therefore, I didn't have to answer him.

So I left.

I slammed the door on my way out, being a little dramatic. How dare he? How rude.

* * *

**T**

My first night in Albuquerque was definitely one I wouldn't forget.

Still and all, I had to drag Chad to the party. Even though he admitted all of his friends would be there. For some reason, Chad was a little nervous about it because the last time he went to one of these parties, he ended up passed out on the lawn. I couldn't stop laughing as his face blossomed when he told me the story.

The girl's name was Ariel. She was pretty cute but I wasn't really interested.

We entered the party and I've got admit, it was nothing like an LA party. There were no drug tables, and people actually had clothes on.

I'll confess that I was a bit disappointed.

I dressed casual in a pair of Levis and a plaid shirt while Chad had some distracting slogan t-shirt on. He always came up with some good ones.

The apartment was a little confined anyways but with the large groups of people, I was getting claustrophobic. You could spot out a beer pong table in the kitchen; a lot of people were playing. Some drunken fools were dancing to the loud music in the middle of the living-room, careless of whom they ran into or pissed off.

I could barely hear myself think because the music was blaring. And people were shouting because they couldn't hear each other.

I caught sight of Sharpay by the kitchen, a red cup in her hand, as she chatted on to her brother, Ryan. She looked hot tonight, with a strapless blue dress that hugged her thighs. Her golden blonde hair was ravishing tonight. She seemed to catch my eyes; she gave me a small smile from across the room.

I gave her a wink and she slightly wavered.

"So what do you think, Hoops?" Chad interrupted the moment, not even realizing I was flirting with Sharpay.

"It's kinda cool, man." I admitted, looking around. "Definitely more laid-back then LA."

"Well, I'd guess." Chad chuckled. "LA's parties got crazy. Even when we were young, things got out of hand."

I reminisced for a second. "Yeah they did. I like Albuquerque though. It's a nice change of pace."

LA was always fast-moving, it was always on the go and things progressed faster than the speed of light. Sometimes I couldn't keep up with the latest. Sometimes I got left behind. One moment, something was cool, and then it wasn't anymore. In Albuquerque, material and possession didn't seem half as important. I didn't have to keep a cool status or go out of my way to fit in. And it relaxed me a little.

"Chad!" Someone bellowed from the other side of the room.

A dark-skinned guy, our age, with a muscular build was shouting Chad's name. He was standing next to two other guys. They looked like they were ready to do a shot.

My stomach ripened. For some reason, alcohol just didn't seem appealing right now. Probably because I was a little jittery. This was a whole new world compared to LA. And all I wanted to do was be a part of it, be accepted.

Never in my life did I want to be liked so much.

Chad led me towards the group and I suddenly went a little uneasy. So these were his friends. Sure, we should get along great. Chad and I were a lot alike. I only hoped Chad would befriend people like him, interested in the same types of things.

"'Bout time you showed up." The guy with dark skin gave Chad a pat on the back. "You never come to these anymore. We were just going to do a shot!"

"Who's the newbie?" One of the guys asked, curiously.

"This is my friend from LA, guys. Troy, meet the guys… this is Zeke," Chad pointed to the dark-skinned guy, "Jace," he then nodded towards the guy that asked who I was, "and Jimmy… but Jimmy's not really a part of the group. He just wants to be." Chad rolled his eyes.

Jimmy pouted. Practically stomping his feet.

I found humor in this and chuckled. "What's up guys?"

"LA huh? Why are you here? Aren't the chicks hot there? The parties good? The drugs amazing…" Jason began but Chad smacked him across the arm, causing him to wince. "Oww. Watch it."

"Well, yeah. The girls were hot… and the parties were pretty badass," I confessed. "Didn't do many drugs though."

"_Many_, he quotes." Zeke grinned. "Tell us what you've done."

"You guys are losers. Just … stop talking. They don't do drugs. Or date girls. They just wish they had the nerve to one or the other."

"Hey! Sharpay and I kind of had a thing that one time…" Zeke defended as Chad shook his head.

"Kind of? Dude you guys talked like once. And that was it." Jason butted in.

"Shut up. She said I make a good crème brûlée!"

"Yeah and the fact you baked for her like a little sissy…" Jason began.

"Oh shut up. You're just jealous 'cuz you don't have the balls to bake." Zeke fought back.

I had to suppress laughter as the two continued arguing with each other.

"Shut up, you guys! God. Sorry, man. They're crazy." Chad shrugged.

"It's cool. It's kind of entertaining."

"Chad, _please_ tell me you're trying out for b-ball this year." Zeke changed the topic, ignoring Jason who frowned at him.

"What the heck's the point? So coach can tell me I'm not ready? After having to take so much time off in high school…"

Chad had a pretty severe injury last year and had to take some time off basketball. I remembered because throughout that time, he was absolutely miserable and bored out of his mind. I honestly thought the guy was going to pull a gun to his head over a meager sport.

"I'm sure the coach would be honored to have you man." Zeke told him. He then directed his attention on me. "Chad was Team Captain."

"… Yeah I know, he told me. He was pretty much suicidal when he couldn't play." I snickered.

Then realization hit me. "You guys play basketball?"

"We only live and _breathe _basketball. Life has no meaning without it." Jason was obviously the dramatic one.

"Why you ask?" Zeke piqued, raising an eyebrow.

They had set their shots down on the table next to them, obviously distracted by conversation.

"I play. A lot." I admitted. "Actually was the best on my high school team in LA. I was Captain." I then looked over to Chad and grinned presumptuously. "Plus I kicked Chad's ass every time we practiced at his house."

Chad blushed.

"That's awesome. You should try out for the team since _he _won't." Zeke shook his head at Chad.

I folded my arms. "Maybe I will. You guys ever watch games?"

"Um again, live _breathe _basketball." Jason chimed, as if it was so obvious and I was an idiot.

I kind of didn't like him. He was kind of annoying.

"My dad used to buy us front tickets to Lakers games back in LA." I bragged.

Zeke, Jason, and Jimmy's jaws all dropped.

"Oh. Hell. No." Zeke didn't bother hiding his jealousy.

"Yepp. I actually got to meet Kobe Bryant one time."

"You suck. I'm taking a shot." Jason mumbled, grabbing for his shot.

Zeke slapped his hand away. "Wait a sec. We're taking a shot together, you idiot. I say we take one to Troy, the newest addition to our group!"

A rush of relief came through me as they offered me a shot. Vodka.

I didn't even have to observe it to know. The odor was strong enough.

And we all took the shot together.

My throat burned and I could see the looks of disgust from the rest of the guys. I didn't want to admit I had quite a tolerance for alcohol. But I did. I got used to it after all the late nights in LA. I had to. If I hadn't controlled myself, they would've kicked me out. Sloppy drunks were the worst.

"Aw yeah! Feels good, huh, buddy?" Zeke grinned at me, elbowing me in the torso.

"Yeah…. Just great." I lied, looking over to Chad who just shook his head.

He didn't look so good, looked a little green. He didn't drink much evidently. And Jimmy over there was still getting over the shot.

I didn't notice the blonde-haired goddess behind me until she tapped me on the shoulder.

I had a little buzz from the 80 proof alcohol and turned to face her. She had a cute smile on her face.

"Hi, Troy Bolton." She smirked. "You showed up."

"I showed up too! Don't I get something?" Jason asked.

Sharpay sent him a death glare and he shut up, looking a little embarrassed.

"Anyways…" She got a little closer to me. "Want to get out of here for a bit?"

I swallowed. "That'd be great."

I gave the guys an apologetic look, even though I wasn't sorry at all. I was translucent. They could see right through me.

Sharpay escorted me far away from the endless pools of people. In a minute, we were outside. Evidently, Ariel had a balcony outside of her bedroom.

Sharpay gave me a cheeky smile before pulling something from her back. A bottle. A bottle of Bacardi. And she was taking swigs of it. Straight, no chaser.

"Want some?" She held the bottle out, invitingly.

"Nah… I'll pass." I bit down on my bottom lip nervously as I looked out at the contour in front of me.

"So… this is Albuquerque…" I breathed, examining the mountains from such a far, yet near distance. A part of me believed I could reach out and touch them. That might have been the alcohol talking though…

It was breathtaking. Sure, California was amazing but this… I've never been this close to the mountains.

"You like it?" Sharpay asked.

I didn't meet her eyes. "Yeah. I do. It's peaceful here. Not so fast-paced like LA. And the people are pretty welcoming. They don't expect anything out of you."

Sharpay didn't seem to get where I was coming from and took another drink from the bottle.

I faced her.

Her golden eyes lifted from the bottle and she gave me a cute smile. "So. Troy Bolton… I've gotta say, we don't have cute boys move here that often."

"Most of the girls like Chad or Zeke… or one of them." She rolled her eyes, looking back to the mountains.

"It seems like you and Chad don't like each other." I mentioned.

She seemed irritated with the topic. "Yeah. He doesn't like me because he thinks I'm manipulative, controlling and that I use people."

"Do you?"

"Doesn't everybody?" Her eyes sparkled in the night.

"…I don't." I answered, honestly.

Sharpay folded her arms across her chest. I realized she had put the bottle down for the time being. "You'd probably get your way more, you know."

In a way, I was a little more intrigued by her because she wasn't all holy and good. I'd never really dated a girl so mischievous.

"You're kind of wicked… I like it." I admitted. "Mischievous even."

She moved closer to me, her eyes playing tricks on me in the dark. "Well, there are two kinds of mischievous." Her long, pink nail danced across the chest of my shirt, "The mischievous that ties you to the bed, and the mischievous that hooks up with your best friend behind your back."

"…I like the bed one better."

"Me too."

We laughed in unison.

"When can I see you again, Sharpay?" I inquired.

"Whenever you want, I'd guess, _Troy._" She flirted.

Dazed, I found myself kind of on her thread, moving closer and closer towards her.

"SHARPAY!"

Then, the moment was ruined.

Sharpay twirled around. "What, Ariel? Dammit! Can't you see I'm kind of busy?"

Ariel looked at the two of us and blushed. "Um… sorry. But… Sharpay, there's a situation going on and I need your assistance."

"I'm sure it can wait." Sharpay rolled her eyes.

"Seriously, Shar. I _need_ you. Now."

"Ugh!" Sharpay stomped her foot childishly and then looked back to me. "Here." She grabbed my hand. "Ariel, give me a pen."

"I don't have a pen."

"I said. Give. Me. A. Pen. _Now_." She demanded.

Ariel looked a little scared. I won't lie, I was a little myself.

It took a second of Sharpay's death glare for Ariel to saunter off, trying to find a pen.

"They always listen to you?" I wondered out loud.

"Always." She grinned.

Fast as lighting, Ariel was back with a pen in her hand.

Sharpay grabbed it from her and began scribbling her number down on my hand, followed by a few hearts. "Call me sometime." She winked.

I watched her walk away, her hips swaying attractively. A part of me just wanted her physically. But the other half of me was sick of being the guy that just slept around. I was that guy in California. I should get to know her better. Ask her on a date.

I decided to head back to the party. Things did seem a bit outlandish now. Jason and Zeke were boxing in the middle of the room, a lot of people shouting, rooting for one or the other. Sharpay was in the corner with Ariel, the two of them sharing the same horrified look.

Lucky for me, Chad was coming my way, beckoning we get the hell out of here.

"You know, this is the part of the party where I usually leave…" I confessed as we headed towards the door. "Sloppy drunks are never fun."

Yeah, I seriously hated the guy that ended up on the bathroom floor at the end of the night swimming in his own vomit. Sure, I had one experience like that, but I learned the hard way that you should never _ever_ be that guy. That guy that can't handle his liquor. Providentially, most of my drunken escapades happened around Chad who nursed me back to my former self, kicking my ass for being such a dumb ass. And that was why Chad was my best friend.

"Jace and Zeke get like that. _A lot_." Chad shook his head.

We headed out to my car and I unlocked it. Chad slid into the passenger seat, still in as much awe as he was a few hours ago.

"This thing is incredible."

"Thanks, man. I told you, you could take it for a spin sometime if you don't drive like Jeff Gordon."

He knew I was kidding. Mostly because Chad always drove like an old lady.

"_You're _the one who drives like a racecar driver, man. You totally almost blew that stop sign!" Chad panicked, giving me a frown.

"Chill out." I told him.

"So what were you doing for so long, Hoops?" He asked.

I shrugged, "Hanging out with Sharpay."

I didn't even have to look over at him to see the disgust on his face.

"Why do you hate her so much?"

"Me? Hate Sharpay?" His sarcasm was pretty obvious. "Never."

I glanced at him, patiently.

"… OK. I just don't really care for her. She's always… worried about things. Money and stuff like that. All of her ex-boyfriends wore designer clothes and had 100,000 dollar cars." He didn't realize I was frowning as he said this. "No offense to you, bro. These guys were about as dumb as you get. Sharpay used them all, pretty much drove them out of town."

"Literally?"

"Well. Most of them… Brad, Pete, Ashton, Shawn, and then there was Tyler, Nick…"

"Ok. I get it, man." I cut him off.

"I'm not trying to piss you off or anything. I just know how she is. And I think she might just be after you… because of you know where you come from."

"Correction: where I _came _from." I grimaced. "Do I really act like I have money?"

"You don't _act_. It's written all over you." Chad revealed.

"But I totally dressed down tonight. I wore Levis instead of my expensive jeans…" I muttered.

"Levis? Really?"

"… What's wrong with Levis?"

Chad shook his head. "I'm wearing _Hollister_. _Hollister_, bro."

Fortunately, we were at a stop light, otherwise I would have slammed on the brakes. "Hollister? Man, I wore those clothes when I was thirteen. Do you need me to lend you some money so you can buy some _real _clothes?"

"Uh, I was wearing Aeropostale when I was thirteen. Remember, I'm a broke college student, not some former billionaire's kid." Chad glared at me.

"Well it's cool. You're my best friend. And since I found my trust fund, I'm gonna lend you some money so you can buy some nice jeans." I offered.

"You're the best man." Chad smacked me on the arm.

"Hey, watch it," I lectured. "I know you've had a few drinks. I'm good on the 'I love you man' speeches for the night."

Chad laughed. "Yeah, whatever."

* * *

That night I couldn't sleep a wink. So I just kept myself entertained by some ignorant MTV shows, the kind that _made _me want to sleep, but I still couldn't.

I began to wonder if Chad was right about Sharpay, if I should stay away from her. I did kind of develop a small crush on her. She was cute and I liked how she told people what to do. I could only speculate that she did that in other situations…

I was trying to hold back on the dirty thoughts. I wasn't into it. And I was hoping Albuquerque would change my life, that I could be a better guy, maybe be more committed to certain things like school… maybe a girl.

Was Sharpay even that type of a girl though? She was kind of rambunctious, maybe crazy. She was obviously a party animal and very independent. Girls like that didn't like to be tied down. Then again, I'm the most emotionally unavailable person in the world. So why the hell am I even thinking like this?

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Chad's phone vibrating. It was in the kitchen so he obviously didn't take it to bed with him. It continued to vibrate for a good few minutes before there was a knock on the door. The knock was quiet, like the person was _trying _to be respectful, trying not to wake the dead.

Lucky for them, I was already awake.

I had the desire to wake Chad up from his beauty sleep, but I decided against that, knowing his fro was very spooky after he slept on it. Basically, he looked like a monster.

With just my basketball shorts on, I advanced towards the door, trying to figure out who in the world would show up at Chad's apartment at 3 in the morning. Bet it was his roommate, the one dickhead who could barely pronounce words because he was shitfaced. God, I hated that guy. Didn't even know him and I wouldn't mind if a bus ran him over tomorrow…

How mean was I?

I hesitantly opened the door and wasn't completely surprised to see Don Juan and what appeared to be his girlfriend, by his side, holding him up.

"Oh. Great." I muttered. "Hey Chad! Super douche is back!" I shouted, hoping Chad would miraculously wake up.

Jackoff's girlfriend was looking at me with an odd expression. Actually, she wasn't looking at me at all. She was looking at my stomach.

Guess dumb ass didn't ever go to the gym or something.

Before getting out of their way, I decided to take a look at her. She was surprisingly cute for being involved with such a self-centered ass. And the bizarre part about it was that she wasn't really trying. She had her hair up and had a pair of sweatpants on. I doubt she even put an inch of makeup on the past hour…

But she looked good.

Her eyes were dark. Darker than Sharpay's, I've noticed. Sharpay's were more a golden brown, while this girl had a dark, almost black color to her eyes. But they were really pretty. And righteous… like the girl spent most of her days in a good book or locked up in her bedroom. She never did anything bad.

Realizing I was looking far too much into a girl I knew nothing of, I moved out of the way so they could get through. She helped the guy towards what I presumed was his bedroom. Chad had finally awoken from his beauty sleep and was helping her. Of course, his hair was terrifying…but the frown on his face was worse.

In a few minutes, Chad was back in the living-room, looking obviously irritated over the whole situation.

I entertained myself with a bottle of water and leaned against the fridge in the kitchen.

"Who's the girl?" I asked, trying to be casual.

"That's _Vic's _girl, Gabriella." Chad kind of emphasized this. "Don't even look at me like that."

I raised an eyebrow. "Huh? Look at you?"

"You get this look on your face when you ask about certain girls. You had that look on your face when you mentioned Sharpay. I'm telling you dude, don't mess with her."

"Oh." I just chuckled. "Really, Chad? And what, you think that drunken fool's gonna do something if I do?"

"Troy. I'm saying. Gab's not available. They've been together for a long time. Vic's just… going through something right now."

I rolled my eyes. Going through something?

"Both of his parents died in a car accident not too long ago. A few months ago, actually." Chad said this in a hushed voice, like it was a forbidden secret and I should never tell a soul.

I wanted to feel sympathy, I really did. But I never felt bad for guys that took advantage of a pretty girl. This Gabriella shouldn't have to spend her nights picking jackasses like Vic up from the bar and aiding him back to health. She deserved better… anyone deserved better.

As if on cue, Gabriella emerged from Vic's bedroom, a look of indifference on her face. She looked tired, bags under her eyes, like she didn't sleep much. I guessed he was the cause of that.

Chad stopped his whispering immediately and kept his eyes focused on Gabriella. He didn't seem concerned at all about what _she _was going through; instead he seemed more worried about Vic. I knew Vic and Chad went back a long ways, because Chad talked about him a few times. Chad thought the world of Vic. I wasn't sure why. I guess there was once a good side of this Vic guy. Must not exist anymore.

"This is my new roommate, Troy. He just moved here from LA. Troy, this is Gabriella."

Chad spoke up, breaking the uneasy silence between the three of us.

My eyes never strayed from this Gabriella girl. Dammit. She really was pretty.

She never seemed moved though when our eyes met. She was kind of like a zombie, in a different world. She probably had other things on her mind. I was unimportant. But somehow, I kind of wanted to change that.

"Why do you go out with that asshole?"

Normally, I'm good at stopping words from coming out of my mouth. In this instance, I couldn't refrain any longer. And Chad seemed so pissed. He looked like he could have punched me in the face.

I didn't care though. I wanted to know. I needed to know why. What was so great about this Vic guy? What drew Chad to him, and this Gabriella girl? Did I miss something?

But Gabriella didn't have anything to say. Instead, she flew out the door, without a word. And when she did, I honestly thought someone just smacked me across the face. It kind of hurt. Really bad. And I was a little embarrassed for my outburst.

That was none of my business. Why was I trying to interfere?

"Dude, what the hell was that?" Chad asked. He seemed really upset with me.

"I have no idea."

"Well, whatever, Hoops. I'm going to bed. Next time you wanna impress a girl, I'd try something else." Chad informed me, yawning loudly as he stumbled towards his bedroom.


	3. Chapter 3

**T**

I woke up that next day feeling groggy with a little recollection of what happened the night before. Unsure how I even woke up, I wiped my eyes and looked over towards the kitchen. Sure enough Chad had a look on his face that proved _he_ was the reason I was awake. He threw a pillow at me.

I rolled my eyes and glanced at my IPhone at the time. _6:00 AM._

Man was it early. In California it would only be 5:00 right now. Stupid time difference, I could still be sleeping!

I got up from the couch and plopped down across from Chad. Chad looked pretty vigilant for this hour. He was swirling his spoon around in his cereal bowl, his mind obviously preoccupied. He evidently forgot that he just interrupted my sleep.

"Hey, thanks for the rude awakening."

He looked up from the bowl. "Well, I wasn't gonna let you miss the first day of class, Hoops."

I just shook my head, getting up from the chair. "What's for breakfast?"

"Ehh… cereal, and uh… more cereal. I think there's some toast, maybe some old pizza…"

I closed the coverts. "I'll pass then." Honestly, my stomach churned a little bit at the thought of leftover pizza. Gross.

I went back to the seat next to him.

"Man, what happened to your shirt?" Chad asked, raising an eyebrow.

I had forgotten I was only in a pair of basketball shorts. I shrugged. "I have no idea. Took it off last night."

Chad just made a face and then continued feasting on his cereal.

"I'm gonna hop in the shower, man."

"Sounds cool…" His eyes were out the window, lost in some kind of daydream.

It took me about thirty minutes to jump in and out of the shower. I took a gander at myself in the mirror and again, noted I needed to get a haircut. I then threw on a pair of Levis and a casual t-shirt along with a pair of _Nike_ shoes.

When I exited the bathroom, I was ready to go.

Chad had gotten up from the kitchen chair and was chuckling to himself, as if his thoughts were just hilarious.

"What's with you?"

"So you're lying low with your Levis again?"

I gave him an eye roll as I grabbed my keys, heading towards the door. "Good one."

"Y'know, it's cool, man. I get it. You don't wanna look like the stuck up rich kid from LA. I just think it's funny that you think jeans that usually cost more than my shirt and pants put together is well… casual." Chad was going on as we headed towards his vehicle.

I had to stop myself from grimacing as I eyeballed it. Chad mentioned he often had his issues with his truck but… looking at it, I couldn't even see it _running. _I had to pick my jaw up from the ground as Chad looked over to me, probably reading my expression.

"Uh, Chad, you sure you don't wanna take my car?"

"No way. You've already spent enough gas money. I owe you."

"Yeah… but… you sure this thing is reliable?" I continued to look over the hunk of junk. Was this what life without money was like?

I cringed to myself and hoped Chad didn't notice.

"Yeah, it is. It breaks down here and there but I haven't had any problems lately." Chad supported, his tone not so confident.

"Chad. Let's just take my car. I don't wanna chance it."

"C'mon, don't be stupid, Troy. It's not a big deal. We'll be fine. _She'll _be fine."

"_She _looks like she's on her last leg." I added, shaking my head. "We're taking my car. The gas is fine. I have plenty of money."

But what would happen when I ran out? The dark question crossed my mind as I slipped into the driver's seat. Chad easily gave up his fight with little complaint and opened the passenger's seat, crawling in.

"Gee, thanks. You're the best." Chad gave me one of those heartwarming compliments.

I blushed. God, I hated when he got all mushy on me.

"Yeah… it's cool. Just don't feel like being late for class."

On our way, I decided to turn into a local _Starbuck's, _itching for some coffee. Chad didn't own a coffee machine which seemed a little offbeat to me considering he had enough beer to satisfy about twenty men. But I didn't dare mention anything. Chad wasn't usually a morning person and the fact that he was this morning, well; I didn't want to jinx it.

"Where are we?" Chad seemed pretty clueless, as if he's never been to this coffee house before.

The guy never really drank coffee. He said he always got enough sleep so he didn't need extra caffeine. I just didn't understand. I could get twenty hours of sleep; I'd still need a cup in the morning.

I ignored his question and parked the car in the small parking lot. I got out. Chad was mumbling things but I didn't bother to listen. I was too busy getting out my credit card, ready to buy some coffee.

Within seconds, Chad was at my feet, following me loyally as I advanced towards the young girl at the counter. She looked about our age with brunette curls and dark eyes. She caked on the make up a bit much and was a little pudgy. I tried not to judge people based on their weight though.

"Hi, y'all!" She greeted with an enthusiastic southern accent.

She gave Chad a second look and Chad looked away, as if maybe they knew each other from somewhere.

"Hey." I gave her a polite smile.

"You don't look familiar – you're not from around here, are ya?"

Damn. And to think I wouldn't stand out from the others.

"How'd you guess?"

"Well. Boys from around here aren't that cute. And if they are, everyone already knows 'bout um. You, well, yer like fresh meat here. I'm guessing you're the boy from LA that all the gals are talking about?"

I scratched the back of my head. "Yeah. Guess that's me. I'm Troy, Troy Bolton."

"I'm Martha. You staying with Chad over there?" She nodded towards Chad, who was practically hiding in the corner.

Huh, so they _did _know each other after all.

"Yeah. I'm Chad's new roommate actually." I chuckled at her knowledge. "You know a lot."

"What can I say? Everyone talks around here. I'm guessin' Chad told ya about his obsession with my best friend, Taylor?"

I gave Chad a sideways glance and seen his face redden and I snickered. "Yeah. He's definitely mentioned her."

"At least she's not Sharpay Evans." Chad muttered underneath his breath.

Unfortunately for me, Martha overheard his comment. "Sharpay? Hm. Can't say I'm surprised. Think every cute guy has liked Sharpay for a little. Good luck though, Hun. She ain't pretty once you piss her off."

Well, I kind of figured that much. Sharpay didn't seem like the type of girl to take a guy's shit. I kind of liked that side of her though. I like a woman that can fight her own battles.

"Anyways," Martha batted her eyelashes. "What can I get you today, sweet pea?"

"Two tall Caramel Macchiato's." I gave her a smile.

Chad jumped in, "Troy, man I told you I don't like coffee—"

"Chad shut up." I silenced him, getting out my Visa.

Both Chad and Martha were quiet when I handed Martha my credit card. Within a second, I realized my mistake. I gave her my _black _card. She was holding it in her hands like it was gold. She was in complete awe.

"Wow, a black card… never seen one of these before," She whispered.

Chad was more entertained then surprised. He watched me, as if wondering what I was going to do next to smooth over the situation. Now I was screwed. Now Martha was going to tell the world.

"Uh, wrong credit card, sorry!" I blushed, grabbing the card from her hands and giving her a different one.

I quickly put the black one away, hoping to God she wasn't going to unleash my secret, my previous fortune. The black card was just something my dad had and he wanted me to have one. He said that credit was everything in this always changing world and that if I had enough credit, I would be fine. I thought about all the credit cards I've racked up and all of the stores that closed down for me just so I could use my black card, just so _I _got every item I wanted.

"its fine, darlin', really." Martha seemed a little shaky still, but nonetheless she gave me my receipt and nodded towards a little table Chad and I could sit at while we waited.

With the receipt in my hand, I countered the table she directed us to and took a seat, Chad following me suit.

"That was real smooth. Real casual." Chad mentioned.

"You think she's gonna talk?" I asked, nervously.

"You think everyone already doesn't know? Look at your car, man. That thing has got to be worth at least 100 G's. We may seem a bit bad-mannered and country here but we know our shit."

I ran my hand through my hair, "Damn. I was hoping to just blend in. I don't want people to judge me. Especially when my moneys about to be gone by time this year's over."

"Too late for that, Hoops."

A young girl, similar in figure to Martha was approaching us in an apron that must have belonged to Starbuck's. She had two Caramel Macchiato's in her hand and a smile on her face.

"Two Caramel Macchiato's?" She asked.

"That's us." I answered.

She set the coffee drinks on our table. She then gave me a sweet smile and a subtle wink, "Have a good day!" She sauntered away, about as enthusiastic as Martha was.

People were really happy here. That's all I could think.

"God." Chad muttered, glaring at the coffee. "I forgot what it was like to be around you. Girls everywhere, winking and flirting all the time. This is going to be hell."

I rolled my eyes, taking a sip of my coffee. "Don't be dramatic. I promise if I meet this Taylor girl, I'll get you the hook up, man."

"Thanks. But I still don't support you and Sharpay. Not now. Not ever." Chad seemed very ardent about this. He took a sip of the coffee. "Hm. Not bad."

"See, told you."

I glanced at my IPhone. "Oh shit. It's about 8. We gotta get to class!"

* * *

My first class was – lo and behold: Algebra II. You'd think I'd be able to test into a better math class but no. I was stuck with the idiots. Then again, I'm one of those idiots so I have no idea why I'm complaining.

It was a lecture class which means tons of rows of chairs and tons of… bodies. There were pools of people.

The anxiety hit me abruptly and I was lost. Never in my life had I felt like the new kid, the outsider. Right now, I didn't know what to do. Feeling like the loser with no friends, I headed towards the corner of the room, away from the groups of people. All of a sudden I wasn't so cool or so smooth anymore. Instead, I was just like everybody else.

I took a seat, all the blood rushing to my face as my eyes darted around the room, in search for a familiar face. None. Not one.

Embarrassed, I decided to look at my schedule, preoccupy myself so I didn't look so pathetic.

I didn't even realize someone had taken a seat beside me.

"Excuse me?" It was a deep, rich, English accent that broke me out of my meltdown.

I turned around, my eyes nearly popping out my head. Yeah, I bet that looked real attractive, Troy.

A girl with dirty blonde hair sat next to me. Her hair was curled and for some reason, she kind of reminded me of Sharpay. She was wearing an overly flashy dress along with some heels. This was college, wasn't it? Not a beauty pageant?

"Hi! I'm Tiara Gold. Who are you?"

I looked behind me, trying to figure out why she was talking to _me _out of all people. Couldn't she tell I was trying to be the guy in the corner? All of my friends weren't in this class. Or well, Chad's friends.

"I'm Troy."

"I knew it! I've heard all about you, Troy. You really are good looking!"

"Uh, thanks…"

"Welcome! You're in this class too? Ugh, I'm so embarrassed. I flunked out the first time I took this."

I was barely listening to this girl. Something about her annoyed me. She was kind of a less attractive, whinier version of Sharpay. And she kept moving closer and closer to me. I could barely breathe.

"Troy! That you?" A familiar voice saved the day.

Zeke literally took the seat in between Tiara and I, disregarding the grimace that Tiara threw him. Zeke acted like she was invisible.

"Hey man! What's up?" He high-fived me. "Last night was crazy. You should've stuck around."

I chuckled. "Yeah, I saw you and Jason. How'd that end by the way?"

"Eh. You know how it is, bro. Things were getting outta hand. Neither of us was thinking straight. Someone had to break it up."

"Oh. I see." I bit down on my bottom lip, trying to ignore the dirty looks Tiara was giving Zeke. "Hey man, that was kind of rude… that girl looks pissed." I said underneath my breath so only Zeke could hear.

Zeke only shrugged. "Nah, whatever. That girl gets on my last nerve. She's like a wannabe Sharpay. No one likes her. Plus her accent is horrible. So annoying."

"How is it anyway, that thing you have with Sharpay? I heard the latest rumors."

I really didn't want to have this conversation with Zeke, especially when class was just about to start. The teacher was going through papers at the front of the room, trying to organize his PowerPoint presentation. Zeke was giving me interested eyes from next to me. But honestly, I knew Zeke had a thing for Sharpay once. That alone told me this conversation could be awkward.

"Uh, you know how it is man. I just moved here, I'm just trying to make friends. I'm not taking anything too serious." I answered him, hesitantly.

"That's a good idea. Sharpay's… something. What's Chad been filling your head with?"

I chuckled. "I think Chad's just trying to look out for me. He told me that Sharpay's a little shallow."

Zeke made a face. "Well… that's kind of true. But she is a goddess." He looked away for a second, as if musing to himself. "In bed, she's fire."

"Really? You've been there?" I asked, not sure if I actually believed him.

"Once. Chad doesn't believe me, neither do the guys. They think I'm on a bunch of bull shit. But there was this party… and things got a little out of control. I don't think Sharpay remembers… but I do. That's when I made her some crème brulée. Hopin' she'd fall for me."

"And…?"

"And, then I fell on my face. Right on my face. And she just found some new guy, some rich guy." Zeke shook his head. "I tried."

"Hey if I ask you a question about someone, will you swear not to tell?" I knew I'd regret this but I decided to trust Zeke. He seemed like a good guy, a little sensitive, but that made him the more loyal. He obviously knew what it was like to feel things for the wrong girl.

The teacher was beginning to show slides of the rules for the class, along with passing out a syllabus. Although I wanted to do well in school and pay attention, I was far more engrossed in the conversation between Zeke and me.

"What's up, brother?" Zeke inquired.

"What can you tell me about a girl named Gabriella?"

"Gabriella? Well… I only know of one. She goes out with Vic Bauswell. Same one?"

Exactly the same one. I nodded.

"Oh. Boy…" Zeke wheezed a little. "You have a thing for Vic's girl?"

For some reason, I understood this was a lot like a cliché back in the olden days, something like Rick Springfield's song, 'Jessie's Girl'.

I have no idea why I was doing research on a girl I knew nothing about, especially when she harshly wanted nothing to do with me. Or at least, that's what I figured in a nutshell. Then again, I was a moron for asking such a personal question last night. What was I expecting her to say? "I have no idea why I'm with him. Call me, maybe?"

"Ouch. Bolton, you're out to get your heart ripped apart." Zeke was giving me an all-knowing grin. "Gabriella's not for the taking."

"Hey, I never said I wanted her. I just, you know, I'm a little curious."

"Curious? So were the other 20 guys that Vic ran out of town." Zeke had a look of fear on his face. "I wouldn't recommend going near her. That Vic, he's crazy. Gabriella's gorgeous, yeah, every guy thinks so. Lots of guys have tried to win her over, get her away from jackass… but you know, they've been together for a while."

"You're jes' playing with fire. _Curiosity _is the gasoline, bro."

"Yeah. Guess you're right. But… what does she do? Where does she go?" All I really wanted to do was apologize.

I never really felt remorse for being a jerk. I just wanted to get know this Gabriella better. I wondered if she really loved Vic, if she was sincerely happy or as miserable as she looked. There was just something about her, something that drew me in.

"Well, she never really leaves the library. That's all I know. But shit, bro, we better get started on this assignment or this Prof is about to go ape on us." Zeke nodded towards the projector, where page numbers were written down.

I decided to leave the conversation at rest as Zeke and I began to work on our math assignments.

* * *

It was about 10 o'clock when I finally got out of that math class. I didn't realize how long college classes really were. I guess I had a lecture class and a lab class back-to-back which meant 2 hours of hell. Zeke looked like he was ready to go back to sleep after the first hour. We nonchalantly talked about Albuquerque, LA, girls, and mostly, basketball. He had convinced me I had to try out for the college team.

I headed out of the building where my required classes were and headed towards the science building. I scored pretty well on my Chemistry pretest and somehow got into one of the most advanced Chemistry labs. I had no idea why they scheduled my lab before my lecture but it didn't really make a difference to me.

I waved Zeke off after he made fun of me and told me I should join the Chemistry club since I was already a step ahead of most freshmen.

Honestly, I liked Chemistry. It wasn't so bad. I had taken it in high school and I was pretty good at it.

I walked in with a little bit more confidence than I did my first class, deciding to plop down on the first seat I found. A pretty, dark-skinned girl sat at the front of the class. For some reason, I wanted to sit next to her. Not because she was pretty, she wasn't really my type. She _kind of _struck me as Chad's type though. Maybe if I could hook her up with Chad, Chad would get over his Taylor fetish.

I dropped my backpack beside me and started reading the board. The teacher had written a lot of information, such as his name and what class it was, what we would be learning and covering the first few days.

Every desk pretty much had every essential for a Chemistry lab – beakers, flasks, test tubes, Bunsen Burners. There was even a small closet in the back with even more equipment.

"Um, that seats kind of taken." The dark-skinned girl next to me looked like she wanted to kill me… for taking this seat.

She was kind of sassy. I could only be amused.

"Oh, really? Yeah, I saw your name written all over it."

"Funny. Who are you? You don't look like you belong here. Are you lost?"

"Lost? Why would I be lost? And nope, I belong here. Was that supposed to be an insult?"

She rolled her eyes. "No, not an insult at all. I've seen you round campus a few times. You hang out with Chad. That's enough for me to know you don't belong in this classroom."

"Hey, hey, hey!" I exclaimed, a little taken back by her comment. "I'm not an idiot. But thanks for implying it. Chad's not either."

"Right. That's why all of his friends can't get into these kinds of classes. They're far too advanced for those lunkheaded basketball players."

"Just because someone plays basketball, you automatically think they're not smart? That's really shallow of you."

She looked irritated with me. "No, it's just realistic. But really, how did you get into this class?"

"Luck of the trade. I'm good at Chemistry. Real question is, how did _you _get into this class? Or become so damn presumptuous?"

The only reason I was extending my vocabulary was because I obviously needed to prove to this girl I wasn't your everyday moron. She seemed convinced that any guy that touched a basketball automatically had an IQ of under 70.

"Um, I actually want to get a real career one day. I'm not here for the booze and parties like Danforth and his little friends." The girl informed me. "My name's Taylor McKessie."

My jaw dropped. No… way. _The _Taylor McKessie? As in, the love of Chad's life?

"Dear, this is when you actually respond and say your name."

I couldn't even respond. I was too shocked. The girl obviously _loathed_ Chad and thought he had no brains. And Chad was infinitely in love with her, couldn't keep his eyes off her. He thought she was the best thing that ever walked the face of the earth. And yet Taylor thought so lowly of Chad she was judging me the same way!

A part of me felt resentment towards her, for being so ignorant that she didn't see how Chad felt about her. The other part of me longed to change her mind. Chad really wasn't an idiot. Chad was actually a hell lot smarter than me. I had no idea how I tested into such an advanced class. Chad was even better when it came to common sense. Taylor had it all wrong. Completely wrong. Now, Jason and Zeke… they weren't the smartest guys I've ever met. And that one guy, Jimmy, well, there was something extremely wrong with him.

"I'm Troy. Troy Bolton. And you're wrong about Chad. _Way _wrong."

Taylor raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. Sure."

"You are. He's smart. Smarter than me. He always drives real slowly because he's overly cautious. He always leaves the party early because he hates being around the sloppy drunks. _And, _he's always had my back when I've done something stupid. He's the guy that kicks your ass when you screw up. He's a good guy."

"Nice speech." Taylor snickered. "Why are you all shook up?"

"Chad's my best friend. I've known him for years. Jason and Zeke are a little underdeveloped, I'll admit. But don't knock Chad. I have nothing left and he's offering me a place to stay."

Taylor's attitude softened a little when she understood how enraged I was that she would even attempt to talk shit about Chad to me. I always had Chad's back. And when I saw him next, I needed to explain to him that there are other girls out there. This girl was a royal bitch.

"Wow." She observed my eyes carefully. "You're really serious."

I put my attention to the front of the room for a second where the teacher was talking among the class. I didn't bother looking back at Taylor until the teacher finished his explaining.

"I'm sorry. You know, you aren't bad, for a basketball player." Taylor noted her brown eyes now like fluid. "I've heard about you, you know. The cheerleaders are going crazy over you. 'Oh my gosh! Have you met Troy Bolton? He's like, a dream!'." She laughed. "I hear the same thing about Chad every day. Maybe that's why I get so heated."

"You know, for a second, when I saw you sitting there, I actually thought about how you seemed like the perfect woman for Chad. Then, when I realized how superficial you are, I changed my mind."

Taylor seemed a little amused by this. "Me? The perfect woman for Chad? Oh, honey. Don't you see, here we stick to the status quo. The jocks _never _date girls like me. Chad wouldn't even look twice."

"You sure about that?" I asked my eyes on her.

She looked a little overthrown by my penetrating eyes. She looked away. "Well…. That's just the way it's always been."

"I don't think Chad thinks like that. Would you ever look at him… well, like he's more than just a 'lunkheaded basketball player'?"

I knew I was being mindless, trying to be the matchmaker, but Taylor seemed to be breaking a little. She wasn't so sassy anymore. And for some reason, I wanted to prove to her that there was more to Chad. I told myself if I ever got the chance to talk to this girl, I would get her and Chad together. Chad had been saving his virginity his whole life for this girl.

But it was about time that Chad got what he wanted. I was so sick and tired of hearing about her. And so was the rest of the population.

The class was ending and the small groups of people were leaving, chatting amongst each other. Taylor looked at me, her eyes twinkling wistfully. I could tell she wanted to say something but whatever wall she put up refused to let her speak.

So, instead, she waved me off, giving me a soft smile. Even with just that, I knew progress had been made.

* * *

**G**

It was just like any other day. I was cooped up in the library, caught up in my studies. Although I had been studying ahead of time, I still had homework up to my forehead. I had spent the summer doing classes from other schools, trying to get ahead of the game so I could graduate early. I had so many years to go if I really wanted to make it into medical school.

My eyes actually began to burn as they continued scanning the book in front of me. I decided to take a look at my notes.

The first day hadn't been so bad. I found my classes easily and I had my best friends in my classes, well, my only friends: Taylor McKessie, Martha Cox, and Kelsi Nielson. We were all in advanced classes and scheduled ahead of time so we could get the good classes and be done with them before the late afternoon.

Fortunately, I was done with my classes by one o'clock. Everybody else headed off to lunch while I was in the dark library, drowning in Chemistry and Anatomy.

When my eyes finally snapped up from the pages I was memorizing, my heart nearly jumped out of my chest.

"Gabriella, right?"

How could I forget? It was shirtless guy. Except today, he actually had a shirt on. Well, he was wearing a t-shirt and what I presumed were jeans though I wasn't actually trying to analyze his appearance.

I reddened just _thinking _about how great he looked without a shirt on. Now, looking into his pretty blue eyes, I remembered he looked good with a shirt on also. He was just genetically gifted. His hair was kind of long but it was graceful, falling almost over his eyes. But I could still make out his dark eyebrows. A part of me felt something I hadn't felt in a long time looking at him, and the way he sat in the chair next to me, his legs sprawled apart.

It had been a long time since I thoroughly checked someone out. However, in my mind, I still remembered how rude he was; asking why I was with Vic, like that was some of his business. I couldn't feel too angry though, his attractiveness kind of broke down every caulk of fury I had built for him.

"Hey, sorry to bother you." He was nodding towards my book. "I um, I'm not stalking you or anything. I just wanted to apologize about yesterday. I was actually trying to _compliment_ you; it just didn't work out in my favor." He chuckled. "What I mean…" He was kind of stuttering his words. I never knew beautiful guys could stutter, I thought that was impossible…

"You're too pretty to be driving drunken guys home, you know? You deserved better yesterday. _That's _what I've meant. So, is it alright if we just start over? I'm Troy."

I didn't understand why he wanted to make a good impression on me. Sure, there were many guys that wanted to get in my pants, others that wanted to woe me or take me out on a date. It never happened though. Vic made sure they were all terrified to even _talk _to me. This Troy sure had a lot of balls to be sitting next to me right now. I actually had a lot of gall to listen to him. I should run away, save him from the misery that Vic would make him serve.

I couldn't even move though. Most of the guys that tried talking to me didn't look like _this_. Man, he had to be the champion of working out. I didn't even have to squint to make out the muscles in his arms. He was so defined. And it didn't end with his body either. He had a beautiful face, the kind you wouldn't get sick of.

I knew I was staring. I had to blink my eyes away to even converse. I refused to stammer like a child or hesitate like he had some kind of impact on me. I couldn't give him the wrong idea, though a part of me wanted to. Even though Vic had destroyed all the audacity I had, I still wished I could just be fearless and talk to him like I had nothing to lose. But with everything I ever worked for at stake, I could barely keep myself together.

"Hi, Troy…it's fine." I managed to get out my first words to him. And at least they were put together and they were strong.

Saying his name alone was fervent. I only knew because before I went steady with Victor, I was a different person. I was fun. And I knew how to have a good time. I knew just what to say and how to say it.

He looked at me like he had known me for years, like we met in preschool and I held his heart ever since. I wondered why on earth he would look at me like that. He had no idea who I was or what kind of damage I've done, what kind of damage I _could _do. I appeared to be weak to everyone, but no one knew what I did when things got messy. I wasn't afraid of anything. And that was the biggest problem.

"Troy, I'd love to talk… but… I have a lot of work to do." I glanced down to my pages of notes and then back to his darling blue eyes.

"Oh. Alright. I understand, I have a lot too." His smile barely faded as he got up from the seat he was so gracefully sitting on. Though, I sensed disappointment. "I'll see you around?" He backed up from behind him, and I believe he winked at me, but his confidence vanished when he ran into the table behind him. I didn't even have time to react.

I so desperately had to hold my laughter inside of me as others snickered over his mishap. He only blushed a deep red before hiding his face and heading out the door, telling someone to shut up as he left the library. To be frank, I'd never see a boy blush. And I guess I never really lived until I seen Troy Bolton blush.

* * *

**T**

The embarrassment never really left my face as I headed towards downtown Campus area. How big of a moron was I? I shouldn't have even bothered. Gabriella had a boyfriend. And here I was, trying to sweep her off her feet. I even _winked _at her. That was enough to send me straight to the floor. She barely even acknowledged me. Again. But for some reason, I was a little obsessed over this girl. What was it, because I stood no chance in hell, because she had a boyfriend? Because she was _unavailable_? I never learn.

I had texted Chad a few times, trying to figure out where he was. It was lunchtime and I already had finished my classes for the day. Tomorrow I had brand new classes again. I was just glad the first day was over though.

I finally found Chad at a Mexican restaurant nearby campus. It was called the Frontier. I didn't even have to approach him. The look on my face was enough for him to see my emotions.

"What's with you, Hoops?" He was munching on a giant burrito.

I took a seat across from him. "Oh my God, I feel like an idiot." I had to stop myself from pounding my head on the table.

"You _look _like an idiot. What did you do?" He looked a little concerned.

"Well, I tried to apologize to Gabriella." Just mentioning her name, Chad's face darkened. "And of course, she pretty much told me to get the hell away from her. Not in so many words, but…"

"Bolton, you're stupid. I told you there's no future with that girl." Chad just shook his head, disappointed. "She's. With. Vic." Now he was treating me like I was in kindergarten.

"I was just trying to be nice." I clarified.

"You aren't nice," Chad corrected, "you want in her pants. Easy."

I rolled my eyes. "I do not want in her pants."

"Troy, you've never had a serious girlfriend. You've always been _that guy_. A lot of guys like Gabriella. But I'm just giving you the warning – she's not on the market."

"That guy? What about that girl in preschool? I proposed to her and everything! And even after 5 years, I was still in love with her."

Chad raised his eyebrow. "Oh brother. Please tell me you're not talking about Layla."

"Layla was incredible. And you could see her pigtails from miles away!" I defended. "We had thrown a wedding ceremony and everything. I even gave her a ring pop."

"You're right. You're an idiot. You need to leave Gabriella alone."

"I don't even _like _her. I was just being nice. It's not like I know her personally." I sighed into my hands as I laid my head on the hard table.

The waitress decided to make an appearance again. "Looks like your friend decided to show. Hello," She gave me a venerated smile. "Did you want something to drink before you order your food?"

I hadn't even glanced at the menu yet. "Uh, yeah. That'd be great. I'll just have water."

"Alright, Hun. I'll be right out with that." She gave me a sly wink before leaving the table.

Chad glared daggers at me. "What about her? She's cute. Ask for her number."

"Chad. I'm trying to turn over a new leaf. I'm sick of being like that. I was like that in LA."

"You're trying too hard."

"I met Taylor today," I changed the subject, knowing I could pique his interest.

And I did just that.

"Taylor?" He breathed, as if he didn't believe me. "Taylor, as in…?"

"Yep. Taylor McKessie. I have Chemistry with her."

"Well…" He began, looking wonderstruck, "what's she like?"

"She's a bitch."

"Don't talk about her like that, man!" Chad disputed, cutting me off.

"What? I'm telling the truth! The girl is way too arrogant; she thinks she's better than everyone."

"So? So do you!"

"I do _not _think I'm better than anyone." I denied, folding my arms. "Stop being ignorant, Chad. I'm just stating the facts. Your dream girl isn't so… dreamy. Or whatever."

"At least she's single."

"Oh, fuck you, Chad."

My outburst was interrupted by the waitress putting a glass of water in front of me and handing me a straw. I realized I hadn't even looked at the menu yet.

"I um, need more time." I told her.

She nodded, the smile never leaving from her face as she strolled away.

"Will you ever let this go?" I asked. I hung my head.

"Let what go?" A cheerful voice interrupted our conversation.

The two of us turned quickly to face an upbeat Sharpay Evans and her brother at her side.

"Funny to run into you here!" She chirped, taking the seat next to me.

Ryan just stood there looking awkward.

It was kind of ironic that we were in the same restaurant. Was she following me?

Chad gave me a bizarre look from across the table.

"Don't look so excited." Sharpay chuckled. "How was your first day?"

Still a little shocked by her debut, I tried to find the words, "It was… pretty good."

"Good! Mine was great."

Chad was pretty much playing charades in front of me, making odd faces and making hand gestures to prove he wanted Sharpay to leave.

Sharpay didn't seem to notice.

"Hey Sharpay," I began, watching Chad the entire time, "what are you doing tonight?"

I could see the irritation stirring in him as I asked this. I could only smirk to myself, satisfied with his reaction.

He didn't want me to mess with Gabriella? Cool. Then I'll just hang out with Sharpay. She was a goddess and everything. Isn't that what Zeke said?

Sharpay seemed flattered that I'd even ask such a question. "Oh! Well, I've got rehearsal for my musicale… and then… I'm free. Why?"

The menacing smirk never left my face. "Oh, well, did you want to do something, maybe?"

Chad was now fuming. And he was mouthing words I didn't understand.

"I would love to!" Sharpay squealed.

"Hey Troy," Chad cut off, a frown on his face, "You forget something?"

"Not that I'm aware of," I answered stringently.

"Oh, that's funny because I'm pretty there's a brunette somewhere-"

"Shut up, Chad."

"A brunette? What's he talking about?" Sharpay inquired, receiving parts of the conversation.

"He's just an idiot. Ignore him." I threw Chad a death glare. "I'll text you later tonight that way you get my number. Just call me when you're off."

"Ok, sounds great!" She perked, giving me a radiant smile. "I'm gonna get Ryan a burrito and then I'll see you later."

"Alright, see you."

The frown never left Chad's face as Sharpay left the table, heading back to her twin brother.

"Are you alright man?" I asked.

"Is this the way you handle your daddy issues or something? By hanging out with the enemy?"

I rolled my eyes. "Chad. Really. Daddy issues? I'm fine." I took a sip of my water.

The waitress was at our table again.

"Just give me whatever he got," I nodded towards Chad's plate which was completely empty.

"OK, sweetheart. Anything else?" She asked.

"Nah, that's all. Oh, and I've got the tab." I let her know, giving her a wink.

I already pissed Chad off. Might as well piss him off some more.


	4. Chapter 4

**T**

Lunch with Chad ended pretty quickly.

Before I knew it I was back in the apartment, bored out of my mind. I managed to complete every homework assignment. I was now just staring confoundedly at the Chemistry textbook in front of me. Chad must have found something to do – he and Vic were nowhere to be found.

My cell began to ring. It took me a minute to break out of my trance.

"Hello?"

"Troy! Oh sweetie, it's so nice to finally hear from you!"

I groaned. I've been avoiding my mom's calls since yesterday. She had been blowing me up with text messages, phone calls, and voice mails. Asking me if I made it alright. Asking me if Chad was nice, if his friends were cool, if I was enjoying myself…

I was _so _ready to snap off on her!

"Mom." I answered with gritted teeth.

"Troy Alexander Bolton!" Oh boy. "How come you haven't answered any of my calls? All I got was some petty text message saying you made it to Chad's! What kind of nerve! You've had me worried sick! _Chad _has taken more of my calls than you."

I rolled my eyes. "Mom, you're being dramatic."

"I'm just being a mother! How was your first day of school?"

My face flushed. Damn, it was like preschool all over again.

If I knew one thing about my mom, it's that she wanted me to be young forever, to always be her baby. But I wasn't a baby anymore. I was practically an adult. And college wasn't like kindergarten.

"Mom… I'm not a little kid anymore. _College _is okay." I must look really uncomfortable right now. I was just praying that Chad wouldn't come back soon. Or even worse, his roommate.

"You like your classes?"

"They're not bad. Really long, but not completely horrible…"

Yeah, that was the only disadvantage about college. I was a really restless person and could barely stand sitting in a classroom for longer than an hour. Some of these classes, these labs were 4 hours! No wonder the dropout rate is so high…

"Well good. Have you made any friends?"

Friends. I wanted to believe that Chad's friends were my friends. I wanted to believe that Sharpay was my friend. Then again, that seemed a little hasty to say the least. Zeke, he seemed like a friend. He was benevolent, accepted me into the group immediately. Jason, he was a little annoying, didn't really care for him. And Rocket man… well, he was just weird. Martha was kind of cool. I could see her as a potential friend. Taylor… that's a different story. She was brutal.

And Gabriella.

God, why was my heart fluttering at just the thought? Because she was out of reach? And absolutely gorgeous? Maybe. She had barely spoken two words to me and I was completely infatuated. Stupid.

"Some." I finally responded, resting my thoughts.

"That's great! And any girls?" I could practically envision the smirk on my mom's face as she asked this.

"Mom… I've been here for one day!"

"Oh, Troy. You had a new girl come to the house every day back in Los Angeles. You think I don't know, but I do. My son is a ladies' man!"

I scratched the back of my head, not liking this conversation one bit. I hated talking to my mom about my personal life. _Especially _girls. She always tried to give me advice, like she was the expert on women. I get it. She's a woman and she understands how sensitive they are and shit. But come _on_… I'd rather tell Chad then confess to my mother my secret desires!

"Come on. Who is she? What's she like?"

_She _currently was blonde, tall, and slender. She wore rhinestones on her headbands and her wardrobe had every bright color besides orange. I liked Sharpay. Enough to go to her apartment and be alone with her. But all the rumors from Chad and Zeke left me a little diffident. And attempting to talk to Gabriella the other day left me insensitive. Like an emotionless bastard who wanted nothing more than sex.

"Uh… blonde. Pretty." What else was I supposed to say?

"Blonde? Hm. I always imagined you with a brunette for some reason."

"Well, she's blonde. And I'm going to see her in a little bit. There, you happy?"

"Very. Will you bring her to California so we can meet her?"

My mom sometimes acted a little asinine. She never went to college, nor did she ever pick up books or you know, exercise her brain. I figured that had something to do with it. She kind of lost herself when she started to age, when Dad started taking care of her.

This was a good example of her being mindless. I tell her I just met a girl and she's automatically assuming I'm going to bring her home.

_Home_. Kind of sad. You'd think Chad's apartment would be home. But it wasn't. Home was Los Angeles California. And although I hated to admit it, I missed it like hell.

"Mom, did you forget I just got here?"

"Oh," She seemed a little embarrassed, "Right. Sorry, sweetie. I just keep hoping you'll find a sweet girl and settle down!"

"Settle down? So I can get married at 20, have a bunch of kids and have no future? Get real, Mom."

"Not get _married_, silly. You just need a girl to motivate you. Someone to inspire you to be a better person. You've been through a lot. You need someone to talk to, since you refuse to talk to me or Chad."

I tried my best not to snap off on her. "I'm fine. Look, I gotta go. I have a lot of studying to do."

"OK, honey. Just remember if you need anything, I'm only a call away. And by the way, your grandparents say hello! Call me tomorrow."

"Alright."

"Love you, Troy."

"Love you too, Mom. Bye."

Eagerly, I hit the end button.

Just as I was putting my phone on the charger, Chad came in. He had a brown bag filled with groceries that he unloaded onto the counter.

Watching him, I couldn't help but laugh my ass off. What was he, the housewife?

"What you laughing about?" He asked, putting a few cans of Coke in the fridge.

"Didn't realize you were the housewife."

"Shut up, Bolton. Someone's gotta get some food. You should be thanking me for not letting you starve."

I rolled my eyes. "Gee, thanks, Chad."

I approached him, grabbing some of the groceries, helping him put them away. God this was awkward, like we were a married couple…

"So, how was your first day, Hoops?" He asked casually, getting rid of the paper bag. He took a seat by the kitchen table.

"You sound like my mom. It was so _long_," I put my head in my hands.

"Yeah I know. You'd think you'd age just by sitting in the damn classroom." Chad chuckled. "Your mom called you?"

"Yeah." I sighed. "She was so annoying."

"That's funny. She called me the other day, asking if you were _safe_. She acted like you were going to get murdered on your way here."

"She's always like that. Overprotective and shit."

"Hey, it's better than having no mom…" He mumbled, glumly.

Chad had lost his mother to a severe car accident years ago. He was really close to his mom. Honestly, the Danforth's were like the perfect family. A part of me feels like Chad and I really became close during his tender years, when he was trying to get over his mom's death. I was always there for him. Talked him down. Actually threw hands at him because he was acting like a moron. I kind of snapped him out of his lunacy and brought him back to earth.

And he's always done the same for me. We were like brothers. Always had each other's backs.

Breaking the feeble silence, my cell phone began to ring.

I walked over to the charger to check who it was. It was Sharpay.

"Hey." I greeted.

"Hi Troy! Guess what? I'm done with my rehearsal!" Enthusiastic didn't even begin to describe her.

"Cool. What does that mean?" I asked, coolly.

"Oh, I think you know what, Troy Bolton!" I kind of liked the way she said my full name. It was cute.

"So you want me to come now?"

"Please. And whatever you do, _don't _bring Danforth or that other sleeze ball with you."

I raised an eyebrow. So she didn't like Vic either?

"Duly noted."

"See you in a few! Tootles."

"Tootles…" I retorted, probably sound like an idiot.

Chad looked at me with the most bizarre expression when I hit the end button.

"Something wrong?"

"Uh. Yeah. You're speaking bimbo. I don't really understand."

"Whatever, Chad."

* * *

Sharpay's apartment was kind of close to Chad's. It was closer to campus and I could tell it was kind of a rowdy area. There were actually red cups in the lawn nearby, like a party erupted not too long ago.

I parked my car on the side of the road, locking it. I then pulled out my phone, checking the apartment number.

In seconds, I was at her door.

I knocked quietly.

She must have been waiting because the door flew open in response.

And there she was. Stunning.

Her blonde hair flowing to her lower back, curls everywhere. She wore a pink miniskirt and a white collared shirt. Her bangs were in her face.

"Wow you look… great." I managed to say, as she pulled me into her dwelling.

Everything looked pretty normal. Minus the constant pink and girly things everywhere.

She noticed me staring. "Do you like it?"

Unsure of what to say, I scrutinized it a bit longer. No way did I like it. Too much pink… too flashy. Flashy was good sometimes. But Sharpay liked to overdo everything.

"It's… commodious."

OK, so another nervous habit. When I lie, I use big words. You know those stupid words you learned in English class you never thought you'd say, like flabbergasted, copious, stuff like that? When I started to lie, those words were my best friends.

Sharpay just stood there, her eyebrow hoisting in confusion.

"You know, spacey, big," I had to obviously clarify what I meant.

I hated to admit she was kind of an airhead anyways but… that look on her face was not attractive.

"Oh," She broke into a fit of giggles. Like I was hilarious. I'm a pretty funny guy, but I know I'm not _that _funny.

Can't believe I put my expensive jeans on for this date. What a waste of time.

"Take a seat," She prompted, nodding towards her sofa.

It wasn't pink but… with the pink surrounding everything, it might as well of been.

Awkwardly, I took a seat, twiddling my thumbs like some fool who didn't speak English.

Dammit, this was a bad idea.

Sharpay sauntered towards the fridge, concocting something unknown. What was she going to do? Poison me?

Maybe Chad was right. Maybe I had Daddy's issues. Why else would I assume a perfectly normal girl would want to hurt me?

Perfectly normal. Yeah…

As Sharpay continued doing whatever she was doing, I heard a yapping noise come from underneath me. Something was brushing against my leg in frenzy.

A little nervous there was some kind of rat underneath me, I glanced down. To my surprise, I met a pair of big brown eyes. A Yorkshire terrier hopped onto my lap, trying to lick me on the face.

The dog was adorable. But I wasn't used to this kind of attention. I never owned a dog…

But instead of pushing the dog away, I erupted into laughter.

"What—"Sharpay was obviously a little curious to what I was cracking up about. She came over to the sofa, taking in the situation.

"Oh." She didn't seem too excited. "You met Kobe."

_Kobe_? "Who's Kobe?"

"The dog, silly. Kobe Bean!" She called, clapping her hands and talking in a really high-pitched voice.

The puppy soared off my lap, running directly to her.

"He's my roommate's," Sharpay explained, picking the dog up, rubbing his ears. "Isn't he cute? His owner's never around so I pretty much spoil him!"

"You said his name was Kobe?" I asked, still intrigued. "After Kobe Bryant?"

Sharpay shrugged, carelessly. "Yeah, some guy who plays for some baseball team. Or something."

Insane Troy kind of woke up from his nap when Sharpay said this. _Baseball _team? Did she not understand? So badly I wanted to ram my fist into her wall. Then again, that would be crazy? Did she not comprehend that I spent my life playing basketball? That Kobe Bryant was my hero? Even if he was kind of an ass…

I grew up watching the Lakers. And here this girl was saying Kobe was on some baseball team! Baseball. I seriously huffed. Baseball? Baseball wasn't even a real sport!

"Los Angeles Lakers, basketball." I _had_ to correct her. And I know I sounded so spiteful.

She wasn't really paying attention though. All her attention was focused on the damn dog.

"Come here, Kobe," I got down on the floor, on my knees, begging the baby to come to me.

All of a sudden, Kobe kind of froze in Sharpay's arms. He was looking at me strangely, shaking erratically.

What the hell?

"He's a little shy around strangers. But… yeah, my roommate was born in California I guess. We don't really talk. She's kind of…. Odd."

"Anyways!" She put the dog down. "I made you a drink."

I raised an eyebrow. "Sharpay, I really shouldn't. I drove here."

"Don't worry; I'll sober you up later." She promised, grabbing a drink from the counter.

She handed it to me, confidently.

"What is it?"

"Just try it. I kind of know a thing or two about alcohol. And mixed drinks." She was gloating.

Deciding to hell with it, I took a sip. It was pretty good. I could taste some Tequila, maybe something else too. I wasn't too sure. But I definitely took a liking to it.

"You like?" She had a bottle of something and was coming to sit next to me.

We were really close now. If I would have turned, we'd be kissing.

I tried not thinking about this as I stared ahead, taking drinks of the concoction she made me. There seemed to be _a lot _of alcohol in it. I knew this because I was already feeling a slight buzz.

When I got drunk, things were never easier. They got harder. And I started thinking thoughts I wouldn't normally if I was sober. One thought crossed my mind: Sharpay had really nice legs. They were unavoidable. She sat with them crossed, parading them. She wanted me to notice them. She wanted me to notice everything about her right now.

"So… tell me about yourself," Brown eyes demanding a response.

A little intimidated, I looked anywhere but straight at her. "There's not much to say…"

"I'm sure you have some dirty secrets."

If only she knew half of my secrets. She probably wouldn't be sitting next to me right now. She'd kick me out.

"Do you wanna take them to my bedroom?" I'll admit she was seductive: licking her lips and batting her eyelashes.

And I was aroused. Hell, I'm a guy. I couldn't change my hormones if I wanted to. I was still young. Young and eager. And even if I wasn't young, I'd probably still be voracious about getting in bed with Sharpay. Zeke already told me what it's like. I already knew I wouldn't be disappointed.

With an erection and a slap-happy smile, she led me towards her pink bedroom. Of course, it was as flamboyant as her and it hurt my eyes to look around.

I kept in mind Chad's words but they soon faded out as Sharpay started fiddling with my shirt and jeans. Not many girls were that bold. Hell, most of the girls that I took to bed waited for _me _to make the first move. I was violently turned on. I wanted to lay-low on the dirty thoughts but my mind was currently racing. Thinking of all the different positions I could experience with Sharpay. Wondering what she looked like underneath those clothes.

In a minute, I was exposed to Sharpay. Naked and all. I didn't feel insecure or anything and I could tell from the expression on her face she wasn't dissatisfied. Back at home, I spent my life at the gym so I acquired a lot of muscle. Though I was very dedicated. Obsessive might be a better term.

Now it was my turn to undress her. This didn't take a lot of time. I was kind of skilled. Bras were never complicated to me, like they were too some guys. And Sharpay wore a push-up bra. I knew her breasts weren't half as big as they seemed.

She was well… skinny. Very skinny. And tanned. She looked great. I couldn't complain. But for some reason, something was missing between us. Some kind of passion, or chemistry. Maybe she felt it. I wasn't sure if I did. I hardly knew the girl.

It didn't take long to begin. I won't throw you the little details. I took control immediately. I could tell Sharpay was a little irritated by this. She hated someone else being in control. She kept trying to turn it around, do something her own way. This started bothering me after a little bit. And when I finally came to my climax, I wasn't that satisfied.

Still a little drunk, my eyes rested on the ceiling. My arm was around Sharpay, uncomfortably. It didn't feel right being there. And I so desperately longed to move it. But she was just smiling, like I just rocked her world. I hated to be the bearer of bad news, but she didn't rock mine.

Then, she did the impossible. She turned around and looked at me with smitten brown eyes. She looked at me the way a woman looks at a man she'd imagine spending forever with. Or how I'd imagine my wife to one day look at me. Panic soared through my bones as I realized Sharpay didn't want to just fool around. She wanted something _serious._

Oh, shit. I couldn't look at her. Not when she was all gooey-eyed. I just couldn't bare it. I really wanted to just leave this situation. Go home. Forget this ever happened. The sex wasn't even that good. And she was obsessed now. I was a little familiar with this situation. All too much. It never ended well.

Slowly, I was peeling her off of me, my eyes on the door.

"Troy?" She seemed to notice. "I was hoping we could cuddle for a second. That was… _legendary_."

Legendary? God, did people even refer to sex as legendary? Or was that back in the Old Testament? The only time I ever heard the word legendary was when referring to a burger… or some Rock God like The Rolling Stones or the Beatles… something along those lines. But _sex_?

"Oh, really? Uh, thanks…" My eyes were still fixed on that damn door. Oh, if I could only reach it. "Look, Sharpay… I um, I just realized I have some studying to do."

"We just slept together and all you can think about is _homework_?" She was exasperated as she forced me to look at her. Her words like knives. Her tone razor-sharp.

Silence overpowered us. And I was at a loss for words.

What could a guy say?

"I'm sorry Sharpay… I um, don't… _cuddle_…" I sounded so overwrought, like I was afraid of her. Afraid of a girl.

But she was terrifying right now. Her eyes were like slits as she practically pushed me away from her.

My idiot-self decided this was my best chance at getting to the door. So I put my expensive jeans back on along with my shirt.

"So that's it? You're just gonna use me like that?" Sharpay yelled. She seemed to forget I was standing right beside her.

"Sharpay, please don't yell. I'm sorry. I thought… you just wanted to have a good time. I barely even know you. Maybe if we got to know each-other better…"

"Oh, screw you, Troy Bolton!" She was pissed. She started putting her clothes on angrily. "I should've known! Just get out! And you better hope to God I never see you again. I _will _make your life miserable!"

Bare-footed, I found the door closed on my face, only my socks in my hand. Dammit, I needed my shoes!

Hesitantly, I opened the door back up. "Sharpay? I need my shoes…"

Fuck! Something practically just hit me in the face. I winced and realized Sharpay was throwing high-heels at me. Furious, I moved away from the door. What a crazy bitch!

Forget the shoes.

Chad was so right! So. Fucking. Right.

Oh, I hated myself right now. This was a joke. A cruel prank.

So, shoeless, and sockless, I headed to my car, running my hands through my hair. There were no words to describe this.

I sped away from her apartment, eager to get back to Chad's. I was so done with women for a long time. Getting pointed shoes thrown at me was not included in a one night stand. Normally.

Guess I should read the fine print. And listen to my best friend.

When I arrived, there was obvious drama going on at Chad's also. Chad was nowhere to be found actually.

It was Super Douche and his girlfriend, Gabriella.

As I entered the living-room, I could hear aggressive voices in the kitchen. To my surprise, Chad was actually on the couch, watching TV. He was acting like he didn't even hear the couple arguing. Throwing curse words at each other.

Thirsty for some water, I snuck into the kitchen, opening the fridge.

Trying to eavesdrop a little too.

"I'm not a whore, you know that," Gabriella told Vic. Her expression so hateful, so rigid, almost scary.

Vic didn't seem moved by her at all. If anything, he looked like he wasn't even listening. "You're always talking to other guys. Cheating on me. And you lie about everything. You're nothing but some dumb ho, can't believe I even waste the time of day…"

"Hey, man." I butted in, a little disgusted that any man would dare talking to a woman like that. Like she was just a piece of trash. "You should mind your manners. Didn't your Mom ever tell you not to talk to a woman like that?"

This seemed to get under Vic's skin. I guess I shouldn't have mentioned his Mom, since his parents died not too long ago. I didn't feel any remorse about it though. He shouldn't call girls names.

Chad's head peeked in so he could only listen to the conversation. But I could tell he didn't support the fact that I was interfering. As usual.

"You have a problem pretty boy? I just feel like if Gabriella wants to be a filthy slut, then she should at least be honest about it. Instead of going behind my back." Vic spat, getting up in my face.

God, did I hate when people got up in my face. It really set me off. Especially when this guy was trying to act all big and bad. And he probably couldn't even fight. Here he thought _I _was the pretty one. Yeah, the pretty one that could kick his ass.

Gabriella seemed nervous about our brawl. She was leaning towards us, as if thinking about trying to interrupt. That would be a bad idea. This Vic was about to get the daylights punched out of him. I had a personal trainer back in Los Angeles. I knew how to fight. I knew how to pretty much do anything. I was a master at the arts. And he needed to back up before reality hit him in the face.

"Instead of calling her names, maybe you should _nicely _talk to her." I suggested, folding my arms. I may have sounded cocky.

But Vic, he was up against me, ready to start a fight. And at just the right moment, Gabriella got in between us, only looking him in the eyes.

"Vic, don't."

"Get out of my way, you cunt."

That was it. All the rage I had built inside of me was unleashed. The monster was about to come out and Vic didn't care. He actually _shoved _Gabriella out of the way, ready to lock in on his target. Watching someone physically lay hands on a girl. Oh, hell no.

I heard Chad call out my name but everything went black. I had Vic on the ground, holding onto his nose, crying out like a little girl. With no bruises, no marks, I stepped away. I was completely involved. And I shouldn't have been.

I looked back to Gabriella, who looked scared. With Vic's shove, she ended up hitting the wall. She was knelt down, watching the scene unfold. Her eyes were wet and messy. She had been crying.

Embarrassed, and clearly angry, Vic stormed off, blood gushing from his nose. But he didn't care. He obviously didn't want to be in the same proximity as me anymore. He knew I'd hurt him again.

The world seemed to freeze for a good five minutes. Chad was over by Gabriella, asking her if she was okay, talking about getting her some ice and some Ibuprofen. All I could do was stand there, shocked I just did that.

"Troy, I'm gonna run to the supermarket across the street, get some ice." Chad gave me harrowing eyes. "Will you stay here, make sure Gabriella doesn't leave? Vic's obviously not in his right mind."

"_Obviously_," I commented, sounding like a smartass.

Being alone with Gabriella seemed harmless. But remembering my last episode in the library, my cheeks reddened.

I waited for Chad to leave, a pretty determined look on his face.

Then I approached Gabriella. She still looked petrified, her knees brought in front of her as she leaned against the wall. Like the wall was her protection.

My heart ached for her. Is this was she had to deal with?

* * *

**G**

I hated to think that Vic got what he deserved. But he did. I've always waited for the day that some guy finally tells Vic that's not the way to talk to a woman. I knew that he never spoke to me like he should have. Like he used to, when he actually _respected _me.

I was no princess. I was a Pandora's Box; something no one would ever understand. Nobody could figure me out. I never felt guilty, hurting Vic physically, while he hurt me mentally. It felt _good_, putting him in his place. It felt like a release, hitting him with the broom. So maybe, I was a little insane. Maybe in a way, I deserved the things that Vic said to me. But Troy didn't believe so. Troy was just another altruistic human-being who held sympathy for my situation. He was just another good guy, one that believed I could do better. He had only seen the untainted, innocent side of me. As most guys have.

No one seen the monster I became when Vic tormented me.

I was more embarrassed that Troy would even witness Vic treating me like that. Calling me names that just sickened me to the stomach, which just broke me into tiny pieces. Of course, I maintained a good front. I put on a mask and pretended that it didn't bother me. I hated crying in front of people. Especially in front of Troy and Chad. Troy barely knew me and I didn't want him to think I was some weak, helpless little girl. For some, bizarre reason, I truly _cared_ what Troy Bolton thought. I was mildly obsessed over him and his blushing and cute smile. But that hardly mattered. I was a possession of Vic's.

So, still humiliated, I was in the corner, my knees propped up. Chad left us, all by ourselves. Being alone with Troy overwhelmed me. I didn't know what to say. All I could do was sit there, knowing he probably was thinking I was an idiot, staying with someone who talked so low to me.

But Troy was making his way towards me, concern in his eyes. His eyes were what you'd see in a Soap Opera, on a Sunday morning. They were so soothing and dramatic. So beautiful.

He knelt down next to me, leveling with me. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. I'm fine." The sobs had finally stopped, minutes before Chad left. I was grateful for that. Grateful that Troy didn't get the chance to really see them. "… You must think I'm such a dumb girl."

"I think everybody has their reasons for doing things." Troy said, nostalgically.

He leant me a hand, helping me to get up. I could still walk. I wasn't paralyzed. Only my heart.

Troy's hand was warm. And so much bigger than my own. I could see the tendons in his arms as he brought me up. I could only stare in awe – at the veins in his arms, at the darkness of his skin. And then I was left to be mesmerized by the green and blues in his eyes.

My god, he was gorgeous.

I headed over towards the couch, taking a seat. He followed behind me, worry still etched across his forehead. And that look bothered me.

"It wasn't always like this, you know," I began, not looking at him. "At one point… he was good to me. And I was good to him."

"You're not good to him?" He inquired, blue eyes filled with question. He seemed surprised. This must have been due to my perfect act, since I masqueraded my true self.

"I'm not the _best_…" I fiddled with my shirt. "Not when he calls me those names. I stopped talking to other guys. Well, minus this conversation." I chuckled. "He doesn't like me talking to Shamichael. But Shamichael is married – with kids."

"That's stupid." Troy commented, shaking his head. "He should trust you. You guys have been together for a while, right?"

"Yeah… for a while." I confessed, biting on my bottom lip. "Then his parents died. And he just… changed."

"I can see that. But still, I think you deserve better." Troy seemed very genuine when he said this. "You can't fix him. He's got his own problems. Just because you guys have been together so long, doesn't mean you can make it through _everything_. Doesn't it bother you, hearing those names?"

"Of course it does! Because I've been with maybe two guys in my whole lifetime! And yet I'm still the slut!" I couldn't help my temper. I was just so _infuriated_. My knuckles clenched, turning white. Vic acted like he knew me but he forgot who I was. I wasn't that girl.

Troy didn't have much to say, besides look straight at the TV, a little nervous about my meltdown. And I hated to make him feel uncomfortable.

"Sorry. Maybe we should talk about something else." I suggested.

Troy looked back to me. "Alright."

"Why are you wearing no shoes?" I asked. "You didn't have any on when you walked in."

Troy chuckled. "I really hate to explain that."

"Oh, please do." Curiosity was eating me alive.

"Well… Sharpay kicked me out of her apartment. I wanted to get my shoes but she started throwing her 10-inch high-heels at me and…"

I started to laugh. "She threw her heels at you? Wow. You must have done something pretty awful."

I had known about Troy and Sharpay's alliance. Everybody was talking about it. Something along the lines that they liked each other. It did bother me a little, but I wasn't allowed to feel too much. Nor was I allowed to share my feelings. Martha Cox came up to me the other day, going on and on about how she met Troy. And he was so _hot_. I just rolled my eyes, pretending like I didn't care. But I did. I really hated the idea that Sharpay got to be with him. As selfish as it seems, I kind of wanted him. Even when I had a boyfriend. Maybe it was just physically. I didn't know him that well.

"Yeah, I guess so…" Troy scratched the back of his head, gawkily, like he didn't want to talk about it.

I let it go, deciding not to question any further. "So, you are from California?"

"LA, baby." He smiled a proud, dignified smile. Like he was proud to be from Los Angeles.

"I used to live in Santa Cruz, and then transferred towards Torrance. I know the area pretty well."

"You're from Cali? Huh, I would have never guessed. That sounds like a lot of moving. What brought you to New Mexico?" Troy asked with interested eyes.

"My mom. She said East High was one of the best high schools for geniuses like me. Although I was voted prom queen in high school, I tried to lay-low when it came to my excellent grades."

"Prom Queen? Figures. You're beautiful enough."

My cheeks reddened for what seemed like the hundredth time that day, as I looked elsewhere, pretending I didn't hear his comment. Either he was the most suave person in the world, or he actually wanted to impress me. I hoped for the latter.

"Sharpay beat me. Surprise there. We were actually _friends _at one point. Now she barely even talks to me. And we're roommates for crying out loud!" I rolled my eyes.

I knew I was talking a lot. But I rarely had people to talk to. Besides Taylor, Kelsi and Martha, who I hadn't seen much lately. They were sick and tired of the way Vic treated me. They wanted me to get out. And they hated being around me, because they always wanted to lecture me.

Troy was friendly. And he seemed nice. He was very easy to talk to.

"Roommates? So you're the one with the dog?" Troy inquired.

"Kobe Bean is my dog." I admitted, smiling a little. "He's my best friend."

"Such a cute little dog. You named him after Kobe Bryant?"

"Duh. Who else would I name it after? Basketball is one of the few sports I can actually _stand_. And my dad dedicated his life to take me to every single Lakers game ever scheduled in Los Angeles."

Troy's eyes were wide. "You too? Holy shit! You're one badass chick." He put his hand up for me to high-five him.

I tried and he moved it away, grinning at me. I tried to ignore the butterflies that swam around in my stomach at the sight of his smile.

"Too slow," he joked. "But I really can't believe it. You're like my other half, I swear to God." He seemed to blush when he said this.

"There are a lot of Laker's fans around here. I'm not the only one." I defended to his powerful comment.

The door closed and we both turned to see that Chad had come back from the supermarket. He had a bag of things, pretty much a first aid kit.

"Look who's the Mom now," Troy jaunted, getting up from the couch.

"I got some Ibuprofen, bandages, ice… anything for injuries, I got it." Chad seemed to be the mother of the household, the worrywart. I always knew he had some sensitive side to him, and that he was a little neurotic. But this was a new level of obsessive.

Troy was just snickering at him as he went through the plastic bag, throwing the ice bag into the freezer. I watched and admired the muscles in his arms as he did this. Hoping to God neither of them noticed me thoroughly checking him out. Plus, he had a cute butt. Especially in those jeans…

"Gabs. You need some ice?" Chad offered, ignoring that Troy just put all the ice away.

"Um, just some Ibuprofen would be great." I gave him a weak smile. "Thanks Chad."

"No problem. I can't believe Vic would say those things to you…" Chad shook his head, a little hostile. "The Vic I knew would never do that."

"Yeah, well this Vic is a douche." Troy added, carelessly. "He's about to get his ass kicked – if he keeps talking to women that way." He said this threateningly, his eyes sneaking up on me.

I couldn't find the words.

"Look, Gabs. You don't have to go home if you don't want to. I know Vic might try and hunt you down and it's been a long day for you…" Chad was very sympathetic.

"Yeah, and I advise _not _staying with Sharpay right now." Troy chuckled.

And I couldn't help but laugh a little. Like it was a secret inside joke.

Chad looked at Troy immediately. "What happened?"

"She wanted more than I could give her." Troy was very careful about his words, and he watched me the entire time he said them. "She was obnoxious and … God, that pink was blinding!"

I giggled.

Chad just grimaced, folding his arms. "So you're saying that I was right?

"Yeah, yeah. So you were right. What's new?" Troy rolled his eyes. "Anyways, Gabi, you gonna stay the night?" His eyes were on me, breaking me into pieces.

Chad's gaze fell on me also.

_Ugh. _My head hurt and my heart was screaming. Of course I would love to stay in the same apartment as Troy Bolton. And he called me _Gabi_. He made it sound all sexy and naughty too.

"You can take my bed; I'll sleep in Vic's for the night." Chad suggested.

Their two eyes harrowing me, I really had no choice. "OK… guess I could stay. I'll be out by morning."

From the corner of my eye, I honestly believed I seen some kind of _excitement _in Troy Bolton's eyes. They sparkled.


	5. Chapter 5

**G**

Simple squamous epithelium, transitional epithelium...

My eyes were glued to the textbook in front of me, along with the notecards scattered all over the coffee table. Every once in awhile, I would look towards the living-room. His almost turquoise eyes fixated on the paper he was working on. In a moment, he'd chew on the end of his number two pencil. And I'd die in jealousy of that pencil.

I couldn't keep my concentration. I couldn't stop. The types of cells in the human body just didn't matter anymore. If I wanted to study any kind of human anatomy, it would be Troy Bolton's. Undressing him with my eyes, I had to break my gaze. It was that bad.

From the corner of my eye, I seen him get up, slamming the book closed. He sighed heavily and grabbed the remote, clicking the television on. Chad had vanished for the time being. But almost coincidentally, he walked into the living-room, plopping down on the chair next to the sofa Troy was on.

Little conversation spiked up between the two.

A few minutes within the television show, I could hear Troy's deep laugh. And I surrendered. I had no chance of studying tonight. Not being in the same dwelling as him.

I closed the book in front of me and threw it, along with my notecards into my worn-out backpack.

I approached the living-room, not meaning to intrude. Troy was on one side of the couch, one ankle tucked underneath another, his legs sprawled out just a bit. Chad sat on the recliner to the left of Troy, lazily. They both seemed a little engrossed in the show.

However, as I quietly grabbed the other side of the couch, my face reddened. Especially when Troy noticed me, blue eyes finding me immediately.

"Gabriella." He verified that I was there, nodding his head slightly.

Chad's focus peeled off the bright screen. "Gabs, you wanna watch something?" He tilted his head to Troy, as if proposing him to do something.

Troy seemed to understand Chad's eye-contact and handed me the remote. "Whatever you wanna watch, beautiful." He winked at me.

My heart stopped for just a second before recollecting itself, my breath hitched in my throat. Did he just say that again? Called me beautiful? I didn't believe it the first time. Now I had no choice but to blush.

I looked back at Troy who's eyes were elsewhere now, slightly biting on his bottom lip. I wondered if he was thinking twice about what he had just done, maybe cursing himself for it. He knew I was supposedly "taken". But why did he keep throwing himself out there? Something told me he wasn't the most confident guy. But at the same time, he was bold enough to go for what he wanted. Did he want me?

My god, I was looking too far into just a wink and a compliment. He probably said the same thing to thousands of girls in Los Angeles. I was just one of his admirers. Nothing out of the blue. An admirer that has a boyfriend. Even worse.

Meanwhile, Chad was glaring at Troy, as if lecturing him with his dark eyes. He was obviously against the idea. He always gave Vic the benefit over the doubt. Even after the argument that occurred earlier, he was still on Vic's side. Still found it was wrong for Troy to be giving me the wrong signals too. Like Troy actually thought I was beautiful.

"Um... we can just watch whatever you two were watching. I don't watch a lot of TV," I explained.

"Neither do I. But whatever Troy put on is horrible. I'm actually begging you to change the channel." Chad's tone was pretty desperate as he gave me pleading eyes.

I chuckled, a little amused. I glanced over to Troy, who just looked annoyed. "Whatever, Chad. I actually put this on because I thought GABI would enjoy it," He gave me a smile.

"So you're implying I would enjoy something horrible?" I joked.

Immediately, Troy retaliated, "No way! I didn't mean that! I just... you know, lots of girls like this show."

Chad just rolled his eyes. "Gabs, in all honesty, I told him you'd hate this show."

I gnaw on my bottom lip for a moment and then looked at Troy, "Thank you, Troy... for thinking of me." Gosh, did I just blush again? This was getting pathetic. But that sounded so... stupid.

Gabriella Montez, you are a fool.

But the corner of Troy's lips lifted up and I could tell he didn't think it was stupid. Which relieved me. "You're welcome. Give it a shot, you might like it."

My dark eyes glanced back at the television, taking his advice.

"Well... I'm gonna take a bath, I think." Chad decided, getting up from his seat. "As much as I hate to miss out on this... wonderful show."

"Shut up," Troy barked. He then put his attention on me, blue eyes sparkling at me, "Chad takes a bubble-bath every night. He's like a girl."

"Screw you, Bolton! I am not like a girl. Bubble-baths are relaxing. If you gave it a chance..." Chad began, but shook his head as I giggled at the banter between the two. He then headed into the bathroom, slamming the door dramatically.

I couldn't help but laugh a little, Troy's eyes still swimming with amusement. He didn't laugh with me, just gave me a smile to prove he was glad I enjoyed his humor.

Moments passed, brown eyes and blue eyes never leaving from each other. I felt embarrassed, realizing there may have been some sort of chemistry between us. And I turned away, looking back to the television. This seemed wrong. Wasn't it? And I was imagining things. Even the disappointment that shadowed over him as I averted my eyes.

"So, Gabriella," Troy started. "what were you studying?"

I looked at my feet, finding them rather interesting at the second. "Anatomy. I'm a pre-med major."

Troy didn't seem phased by my response. "Pre-med. Damn," He whistled. "That's awesome. I'll remember that when I get hurt."

I chuckled. "What about you? You looked pretty in depth with your homework."

"Chemistry." He said, azure eyes never looking at me. He repositioned in his seat, uncomfortably, like there was some hidden meaning, but I couldn't find any. "I'm not sure what I wanna do yet."

"Undecided, hm?" I inquired.

He nodded. "Something like that. I'm good with numbers and... science. But I don't wanna rush into anything."

"That makes sense."

I could tell he wanted to say more, but he couldn't find the words. He often opened his mouth, then closing it again.

"I um... I'm a little tired. Think I'm gonna lay down." I noted, as Chad came back into the room, looking fresh and calm.

I walked passed him and gave him a weak smile. "Goodnight Chad."

He returned the smile, and I ignored the strange look he gave Troy as I headed into Chad's room and collapsed on the bed.

* * *

**T**

I messed up again. I had to of.

I watched her walk away from me, in something as simple as a t-shirt and jeans. But her figure was perfect. She was slender, yes, but she actually filled out her pants. And her long, wavy dark hair which was a lighter brown at the tips. Just watching her gave me an erection, an unfamiliar longing that most girls couldn't give me. In spite of her innocence and the fact that she had a boyfriend, I was turned on.

In the midst of my daydreaming, Chad came in, smacking me across the head.

"Ouch," I moaned, "what the hell was that for?"

Chad took a seat next to me. "Bolton, what the heck did I tell you about her? She's taken, TAKEN. And you keep hitting on her!"

"Yeah, well, that guy's a douche!" I retorted. "And it's not a crime to flirt."

"Troy, you don't understand. Vic gets really funny when it comes to Gabs."

"Chad, YOU don't understand. I don't give a damn about that guy. I'm not scared of him." I snapped.

Chad just groaned. "Come on, man. Wake up! Gabriella's not gonna just break up with Vic. They've been together for so long. So many guys have tried... don't get wrapped up."

"Wrapped up? I'm not wrapped up!" I told him, trying my best to sound sincere. Although, I couldn't deny it, I was pretty wrapped up. Gabriella was so easy to talk to, and I couldn't keep my eyes off of her. Not saying I was going to go the full hundred yards and ask her out... but it doesn't hurt to fantasize.

Chad didn't seem to believe my lie, and I would have been surprised if he did. He only shook his head. "Guess I'll get some sleep. Gotta work in the AM..."

I wanted to defend myself more but Chad was already up, heading towards Vic's bedroom.

"Chad," I found my voice finally and he stopped for a moment, an eyebrow hoisted. "Don't forget to mention me to your boss." So much else I wanted to say, but the only thing I could do was change the subject.

Chad just nodded. "Will do, Hoops. But don't hope too much... Boss rarely hires." He closed Vic's door and left me to myself.

Realizing the TV had no purpose, I took the remote, shutting it off. I sighed wistfully. How did I get myself into this? What did this Vic have that I didn't have? He didn't deserve to spend so much time with someone like Gabriella. She deserved someone who would appreciate her, shower her with compliments, reminding her how wonderful she was every day. But this guy did anything but. He treated her like garbage and that bothered me. Was there a real reason besides the fact that he was hurting and he wanted to take his anger out on someone? Maybe. Maybe Gabriella wasn't the angel I thought she was. But with her dimpled smile and her sweet laugh, I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe she was anything but flawless.

I woke up early in the morning, with only a pair of pajama pants on and headed to the kitchen to get myself some cereal. Chad was already awake, practically ready for work. He had a pair of old jeans on, ripped at the knees and pretty much ripping at the seams, along with an old flannel. He was prepared to get dirty.

He sat at the kitchen table, stirring around the cereal in his bowl.

After grabbing some cereal myself, I took the seat next to him. Silence swept the room.

"Gabs left early," Chad told me, no emotion in his eyes as he kept them on the bowl.

"Oh..." I tried to hide my chagrin, but I knew Chad could see right through me. What was I expecting? A goodbye from her? I'd probably never see her again. Albuquerque was a big city, after all.

"So, what really happened with Sharpay? I gotta ask." There was a silent smirk on Chad's face.

I rolled my eyes. "What do you think happened? I got annoyed with her. She was..." I sighed, not wanting to be rude. "Annoying. She thinks Kobe Bryant is a baseball player."

With this comment, Chad nearly choked on his cereal, mad laughter erupting from him. "Dude, you're kidding! What a bimbo!"

"I know." I groaned. "It was horrible. The sex wasn't so great either."

"Told ya. Not worth your time." Chad countered, looking extremely pleased with himself. "Oh well. Sure you'll find someone else." He looked to the window for a minute, contemplating his words. "Sorry..."

What was he sorry for? "Sorry?"

"Yeah. Kind of forgot where your eyes are."

"Seriously?" I slammed the damn spoon on the table, Chad nearly jumping. "Just shut up, Chad. I'll probably never see her again. And then I'll just find someone else. Someone single, like you suggested." Although I felt sick just mentioning 'someone else'. Why? Because I was convinced it was love at first sight.

"Hoops, chill. I wasn't trying to be a dick. You WILL find someone else. Someone hot...and... uh, single." Chad scratched the back of his neck, as I glowered. "And I'll find someone too. They'll be best friends."

He got up and emptied the remaining cereal into the trash, then put his bowl in the sink. "Just keep your head up, Bolton."

The day seemed to be slow, as in, neverending. By time I got into Chemistry lecture, I was ready to go back to bed. No wonder so many people dropped out of college. This was worse than high school. Sure, you always had the choice of whether you wanted to go or not. But to me, that wasn't a choice. I was kicked out of the money business when my dad went to jail. I wasn't going to inherit millions anymore. So I had to work my ass off. I had to deal with these endless classes with the intense amount of homework.

I found a seat next to Taylor McKessie, deciding to annoy her. "Good morning, McKessie."

"Bolton. You remember names well."

"How could I forget?" I asked, dramatically. "Looks like we're Chemistry buddies."

She rolled her eyes. "You think because we have two Chemistry classes together, we're automatically friends?"

And to think I was making progress. "You really are a hard bitch, you know that?"

She whirled around, facing me with angry brown eyes. "What did you just say? You better take that back!"

"No way." I stood my ground. "You know, girls like you suck. You're the reason marriages end, and the reason they never begin!"

"Wow, way to be dramatic." She actually laughed a little, a bitter, crazy laugh. "You seem to be in a bad mood today."

I looked at the board in front of me. "Yeah, a little bit..." I mused. "And you're not helping. You should be nicer, you now?"

"This coming from the boy who's dating Sharpay Evans!"

"I am NOT dating Sharpay Evans." I corrected, shocked at her assumption. Were people saying that?

"That's not what she's telling people..." Taylor gave me almost sympathetic eyes. "Oh, Bolton. What did you start?"

I groaned. Perfect. I just moved here and had a one night stand with a crazy girl, and she starts rumors about me.

"Don't worry, I'll set them straight." She gave me a wink and then grabbed her notebook from underneath her, looking up to the board.

"I'm trying to be low-profile here." I added. "Hey McKessie?"

"You know, you can call me by my name. Or is that a lunkheaded basketball player thing?" She raised an eyebrow as she began jotting down the information on the board.

"Whatever, TAYLOR." I emphasized her first name. "What are people saying? About me?"

She actually stopped writing and looked at me. Surprised that I cared so much, I guess. Her eyes were almost poignant.

"You're really worried." She noticed. "Why?"

"No reason," I shuffled in my seat, looking away from her. "But really... what are they saying?"

"That you're new meat," She finally responded. "And... that you have nice jeans." She nodded at my Levis.

"I'm serious." I narrowed my eyes at her.

"And so am I. Everybody says your ass looks great in them," Taylor rolled her eyes. "I personally am not looking at your ass. But it's become a popular topic. And I'm over hearing about it, Bolton!"

I couldn't help but crack a smile at her lecturing. She was kind of cute. Guess there was SOME reason that Chad liked her. Maybe some logic to why he was so obsessed. But I wasn't completely compelled.

"Hm." Taylor was observing me for some reason. "Why so insecure, egotistical jock?"

God, she was starting to piss me off with the basketball jokes. "You sound like this damn teacher I had in high school, always downing sports and basketball. Will you just stop?"

She only smirked, seeing that she was getting on my nerves -something she intended to do. "I can't promise that. But do tell me...what's beneath all the confident exterior?"

I rolled my eyes for what seemed like the hundredth time. "A sensitive, insecure little boy. There, you happy?"

"Ultimately!" She exclaimed to my sarcasm. "Y'know, I'll shut my mouth. I like you, Troy."

"You know, Taylor, I don't mind you myself. But I think you should be nicer." I finally got out my own notebook, starting to take notes.

"Duly noted. So what REALLY happened between you and Evans then? Nothing?" Taylor seemed a little interested.

God, I didn't want to discuss it again. "Absolutely nothing."

"Nothing?" Taylor was incredulous about this as I shook my head.

"No sparks, nothing." I admitted. "And honestly, I'm kind of glad if she's starting rumors."

"Oh. Sharpay is the drama queen of the campus." Taylor informed me. "Big red caution light!"

I chuckled. "Well, I know now."

The teacher was rambling on about how the first quiz was a few weeks from now. He reminded us to check out the syllabus and keep track of due-dates, that we had a lot of homework online. I didn't even realize that class was almost over. I had a few notes written down, but a lot of it was online so I wasn't too worried.

Taylor was getting up, gathering all of her things when she glanced over at me, like she wanted to ask something.

I grabbed my things up hastily when she interrupted me before I left, "Hey Troy?"

I turned to face her. "What's up?"

"Do you wanna get a bite to eat?"

* * *

Outside of the restaurant, I continued dialing Chad. C'mon, answer. Impatiently, I redialed. What on earth was he doing? I knew that he got off around two o'clock, why wasn't he answering? It was almost four. Taylor would be here in a few minutes and I was hoping to introduce the two.

Finally, the phone was answered. "Hello?"

"Chad. I'm meeting Taylor at O'Niell's, you need to get your ass over here!"

"Huh? You're meeting Taylor? What-"

"Man, this is your chance. This is your chance to talk to her!" I was probably way too enthusiastic.

Chad was hesitant. "Troy, I dunno if that's a good-"

"You've waited your whole life for this. I'm putting my ass on the line here. She's gonna be here soon. You need to hurry."

"Yeah, but what the heck am I gonna say?" He asked, dumbfoundedly.

"Easy. Be yourself. Just please, get over here. Now."

He sighed through the phone. "... Alright. Be there in a few."

In relief, I hung up the phone.

I took a seat on the bench by the restaurant. And after waiting for a few minutes, Taylor drove up in her red Jeep. She parked on the side of the road. I checked my phone as she got out of the vehicle, making sure Chad didn't text me.

Taylor approached me, "Well? Let's go in?"

I nodded in response, casually looking over my shoulder, making sure Chad didn't arrive yet.

O'Niell's was a more casual place. The tables were mable and round, about four seats to a table. And there was a bar at the other side of the restaurant. The floor was wooden, while the walls were painted a more olive color. There were a few regulars in there, getting drunk off alcohol at the bar. While there were also some college students, hanging out and doing some homework.

The hostess told us we could just sit anywhere, so we found a table and just plopped down. Taylor looked at me awkwardly, not realizing how much of a date this looked like, when it was just two hungry college students hanging out.

Our waiter came by and asked for drinks, handing us menu's.

"Um," I stopped him as he was walking away, "they'll be one more."

Taylor lifted an eyebrow, a sudden attitude coming across her calm demeanor as the waiter nodded, walking away. "What are you talking about?"

"Um..." I looked up to the ceiling, wishing I could find the words. "I invited my friend. He just got off work."

"Friend... this 'friend'..." Taylor was watching me carefully, "who's this friend?"

Someone cleared their throat from behind us and I could feel every single nerve in my body tense up. Dammit. This was a bad idea.

Instead of looking to face Chad, I kept my eyes on Taylor, who took a minute to understand. And when she did, her brown eyes flared and she was starting to get up from her seat.

But I barricaded her, grabbing her arm. She gasped in shock at my tight grip as I pulled her down to me, forcefully. "Give him a chance." I demanded, seeing the hurt reside in my best friend's eyes at her rejection. Chad officially knew.

Chad knew that Taylor didn't want to have anything to do with him. And I was the dumbass who was pushing her to think twice, to not be so shallow. And Chad knew it. I could tell, as he was glaring daggers at me from across the table.

The air was thick as the waiter came back, handing Chad a menu. Chad gave him a forced smile as he accepted the menu, starting to look through it.

Taylor was frowning and I could see her knuckles turning white underneath the table. I 'accidentally' kicked her in the shin, nodding my eyes towards Chad. She seemed to understand but pretended like she didn't.

"So... Taylor, right? I'm... Chad." Chad managed to stammer out, holding out a friendly hand.

Taylor looked at the hand, as if it were a deathwish. And she didn't bother taking it. "Charmed."

"Um, so you like U of A?" Chad inquired, his eyes glancing at me pleadingly. He wanted me to help him out somehow. And I was trying my best.

"I do." Taylor responded finally, though she looked miserable. "I don't play basketball though. Is that going to be a problem?" I could hear the sarcasm in her voice.

God, this was a disaster. I hung my head, giving up.

Chad didn't get her sharp edge and answered immediately. "No, that's cool. Um, Troy said you guys have Chem together."

Taylor's brown eyes met mine, a look of disgust in them. Great, now I was caught. "Yes... we do. We're 'chemistry buddies'." She rolled her eyes, giving me a smirk.

Chad looked over at me, a little confused. I just shrugged. "Something like that. But you know, Taylor, Chad here is pretty smart. He always did better on the SAT's."

Taylor stared at me, disbelievingly. Her eyes were on Chad, "Is that true?"

Chad scratched the back of his neck, nervously. His face was a little red. "Um... yeah. But Troy always kicked my ass at b-ball!" He seemed grateful.

I shrugged. "I'm just a lunkheaded basketball player, you know?" I winked at Taylor.

"Impressive." Taylor noted. "Bolton does seem a little slow." She grinned at me, trying to piss me off.

"Whatever, McKessie." I retorted, using her last-name like she used mine.

In this moment, the waiter decided to come back, asking what we would like to order.

"Um, I'll have the patty melt," Chad gave the waiter his menu as a Coke was placed in front of him.

Taylor seemed a little distracted by Chad, which kind of gave me hope. Her eyes softened as she looked up to the waiter. "Same."

Oh? I couldn't fight the goofy grin that played on my lips as I looked over at Chad, fist pumping ecstatically. Taylor didn't notice this, thank God. So they had something in common - they ordered the same thing!

"I'll take the BLT." I told the waiter, handing him the menu as he placed a water glass adjacent to me.

"So healthy," Taylor commented. "Basketball diet?"

"Shut up. Just don't feel like being 500 pounds one day. Is that alright with you, McKessie?"

She glowered when I said her last name and then turned to Chad. "You've been here before?"

"I'm a regular. Their patty melts are to die for." Chad emphasizes, not so uptight anymore.

"Very true. I come here a lot also. Well... my best friend comes here a lot. Her boyfriend loves it." Taylor explained. "You probably know her boyfriend-Vic."

Chad's eyes nearly widened, as did my own. "Gabriella?" My voice beat Chad's to her name-the name sounding so foreign and amazing on the tip of my tongue. I bet it'd sound even better if I was shouting it...

"You and Gabs are best friends?" Chad's eyes kept moving back and forth between Taylor and I.

"Yepp. And I'm always yelling at her for staying with that guy. So many cute guys I've set her up with!" Taylor sighed, exasperated. "But she goes back to him, every time. Swear he's got something on her."

"Uh. Yeah... um... Vic's one of my buddies," I cringed when Chad said this, "he's been through a lot."

"Oh, I know." Taylor added. "I've heard all about his issues-his parents dying and all of that." She twirled a piece of hair absentmindedly. "And I respect that. But he should focus his issues on someone else. Gabriella's absolutely gorgeous and deserves better."

So badly I wanted to yell out, 'FINALLY!', but I kept it to myself. It was hard though, especially when Chad seemed uncomfortable, probably embarrassed for all the times he lectured me. Crazy how the first conversation Chad and Taylor would have would be about Gabriella Montez.

"Gab's can make her own decisions. If she doesn't want to be with him, she would have left him." Chad mentioned.

I just shuffled in my seat, silent on this conversation. Though I wanted to voice my opinion.

"Probably." Taylor shrugged. "Bolton, have you met Gabriella?" Her piercing dark eyes were on me.

I decided to take in Chad's expression before responding. He was subtly shaking his head, as if saying, 'Don't even mention ANYTHING'. But I wanted to explain everything, how I thought Gabriella was amazing. And how she really did deserve better, and how I was very interested in giving her better.

"I have." I answered, quietly.

"And?" Taylor raised an eyebrow.

I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat. "...She's hot." I finally confessed, ignoring the way Chad's eyes flickered in annoyance. "And sweet." I concluded, realizing I sounded like a horny adolescent just saying she was hot.

Taylor smirked. "Hm, think I found my next mission... Mission Troy and Gabriella."

I didn't even bother looking at Chad, who just continued to frown.


	6. Chapter 6

**G**

I wasn't sure how I've been waiting here. I had the weekend off so it wasn't like I had something better to do. It was almost six o'clock. He couldn't be late tonight. The boy was never punctual but tonight... he couldn't be late. I was already upset with him, holding a grudge over the way he treated me the other night. How could he deceive me yet again?

I flattened my dress, receiving a few looks from young men walking out of the fancy, 5-star restuarant. My dress was barely considered 'formal', if anything it looked like I was out to seduce someone. It was a tiny black dress, something I buried away in my closet a long time ago. I wasn't that fond of dresses-I usually wore a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. I couldn't even remember the last time I wore this dress. But Victor didn't deserve to see me in this dress. It was too revealing.

A couple passed by-their eyes bright with youth and unfed desires. Their hands locked together, fingers tangled. The woman was beautiful-her auburn hair gracefully dancing in the wind, along with her forest-green eyes. She was in love, her emotions all over her face. She kept glancing to her side, her eyes finding the man longingly. A queasy feeling entered my stomach. Some sort of jealousy overcame me momentarily.

"Gabi?"

My envy was short-lived as I turned around. There he was. Victor Bauswell, the boy I lost my heart to years ago. But right now, I wasn't looking at him like that. He was no longer Prince Charming or the knight in shining armor. Instead, he was an enemy, the devil in disguise. I was already on the edge with him but he just pushed me further the other night. He called me names and embarrassed me in front of Chad and Troy. How I despised the way that Troy looked at me that night-like I was a broken vase that could never be repaired. Like I was weak and couldn't fight my own battles. But he misunderstood, I could fight my own battles. And I have, several times.

Why I cared so much what Troy thought just bewildered me. But I decided not to obsess over it and focused on my current situation.

Vic looked dapper in his khaki dress pants and button-up shirt. A dark blazer layered his button-up shirt. And his dark blonde hair hung lifelessly at his cheeks. Typical Vic look, nonetheless.

He greeted me with a peck on the top of my head-like a father would kiss his daughter. The kiss was awkward and I had to hold back from cringing. It also made me realize how short I was compared to him. He triumphed over me easily. Damn.

Before I knew it, his hand was on my back, guiding me into the gaudy restaurant. The flooring was wooden, the tables covered with white cloth. The wallpaper was a maroon, giving the whole dwelling a more romantic feel. But I was feeling anything but romantic. Our host led us to the very corner of the room, underneath the dimmed chandelier. It was probably the most secluded spot in the lounge.

Vic was only centimeters away from me. I could smell his aftershave. Thoughtlessly, I scooted over to the other side. He didn't seem to notice.

He didn't even bother skimming through the menu, his eyes were too busy perforating me the best they knew how. "Gabi...there's something I'd like to say."

I couldn't look up, I just couldn't meet his deep eyes. Without even looking, I could imagine the intensity in them. His voice was so serious. He wanted to either start another fight, or break up completely, I assumed. I hoped for the latter.

Finally, I gained the courage to look up. He became tongue-tied, his mouth ajar, but words not forming. Impatience immersing me like you wouldn't believe. Just say it. Just get it over with. Rip the bandaid off-no anesthesia.

The impulse between us ended quickly as a flustered waitress sauntered over to us. Her apron was covered in filth and grease. She obviously was having a rough time tonight keeping track of all her tables. "Hello!" I barely caught a glimpse of the red whine bottle hiding behind her back. "I'll be your waitress tonight. My name is Shanda."

"Are either of you 21 or older?" She continued, tired eyes swimming with fake enthusiasm. But her eyes rested on Vic more than myself.

Curiosity eating me alive, I looked over to my boyfriend. He seemed to be having a war of his own in his mind. His knuckles remained underneath the table, probably turning white. His eyes remained like slits, glowering into space. Then the cobalt orbs jumped up, finding me, like I had all the answers.

"I'll just take a Pepsi. Gabriella?" Although his voice was prostrated, he was sincere. Even though it was hurting him, breaking his world in two, he was going with what was right. For once.

And I was more than proud. I withheld the huge grin that wanted to play across my lips. I fought the urge to just hop up and wrap my arms around him, congragulating him for taking the first step towards success. You see, Vic was an alcoholic. And just a sip of wine would put him on the road towards catastrophe. It was his addiction, his greatest downfall, the one thing that took away his misery since his parents died. It was the one thing he truly cared about, the one thing that severed us every time.

"Same." I gave the waitress the best polite smile I had.

She nodded and walked quickly back to the kitchen, still as overwrought as she was before.

Vic's blue eyes fought me from across the table. I lifted my chin up, miserable over the idea of being alone with him again. In less than a second, he was grabbing my hand from across the booth. His hands were clammy and warm, but the gesture made me uncomfortable. I couldn't remember the last time he actually displayed any kind of affection towards me. He was usually drunk or too busy insulting me.

"I'm...sorry." The words were hard for him. But I'm guessing he meant them. They were hard because he rarely said them. The boy never took responsibility for his actions. He blamed me every time. The two of us were a lot alike when it came to apologies. I myself didn't apologize much. I was far too proud and stubborn-kind of like Vic. Probably a good reason why we collided so much and fights were started, never finished.

"Ella, I don't mean the things I say. Lord, I don't mean them." The despondency in his voice was different, like a cry for forgiveness. "You look like a model tonight. How in the world have I ever taken you for granted? I'm so sorry, baby girl." My stomach churned as he referred to me as 'baby girl'. "Sorry about Shamichael..about everything. Y'know, I should trust you by now. I'm not going to tell you how to live your life." He gave me a wobbly smile. Somehow, I didn't believe his words completely. But I pretended I did.

"Really?"

"Absolutely. You can hang out with whoever you want, Gabs. Um... except for that Troy Bolton. I don't like him." Vic furrowed his eyebrows for a moment, his nose wrinkling in disgust.

I should have known THAT was coming. Vic and Troy had mutual animosity for each other and the other night proved that. I'm not sure why, but I had a good feeling that Vic was the one to encourage the hostility. Vic was a lot like my best friend Taylor sometimes: he didn't like a lot of people. The only reason Vic and Chad got along was because of high school-because of shared interests in classes and sports and because Chad was 'cool'. Otherwise, Vic would probably despise Chad as much as he despised Troy. Vic implored that Troy was a 'pretty boy', but the pretty boy kicked his ass. I hated to admit that Troy WAS a pretty boy. With the gorgeous hair and the unnaturally blue eyes, the boy would probably fit in a GQ magazine or Vogue. But mostly, I realized Vic only felt intimidated by Troy's looks and the way girls raved on about him. And he knew I would rave too, if I wasn't in a relationship.

A little jaundiced, I tried to redeem my straight face. Who was I to think Vic would approve of Troy with open arms? Sure, I did. But him being beautiful had a lot to do with it. I knew nothing of Troy, minus the fact that he was from Los Angeles-such an energetic, sleepless city filled with sin and celebrities. I had visited several times when I lived in California. I was never completely satisfied-the place was so busy and noisy. There was so much going on at one time. It took a certain individual to call the city home. And Troy was that certain individual.

"Gabs. That kid is trouble. Ya heard 'bout his old man right? How he lost all that money and got locked up?"

I blinked. "Huh?"

Vic kind of shuddered. "Yeah. Troy's old man was like a multi-billionaire. Rumor has it Troy left LA because everybody knew what a crook his dad was. And I doubt the apple falls too far from the tree. Troy's bad news, baby girl. I don't want you anywhere near him. He might hurt you...or even worse, take advantage of you."

I didn't even hear Vic's warnings. No words really spoke to me. Only the fact that Troy's dad went to jail, that Troy had to run off to Albuquerque to escape. Instead of questioning Troy's intentions, I was feeling sympathy. I wondered how he was dealing with this. I wanted to talk to him, embrace him and solace him. I could just picture those ocean eyes, the torment in them. Indisposition taking me over like never before.

Our waitress interrupted my thought bubble, along with Vic's comments about Troy. She had our drinks and placed them in front of us, wondering if we were ready to order yet.

"I'll actually take the Ribeye, medium rare. Um, do you have caesar salad?" Even though my stomach wasn't eager to eat-leftovers were always a plus.

"Yes we do."

"OK, I'll take that, along with mashed potatoes. Thank you." I gave her my menu.

"I'll take the same. But I'll take steak fries instead." Vic nodded to the waitress curtly before handing over his own menu.

"Alright, should be right out!" The waitress gave us her best smile before heading towards the kitchen. She seemed better now.

"Anyways," Vic was avid about continuing the conversation. "I have faith in us, Gabs. I know you still believe in us." He grabbed my hand again, giving it a small kiss.

Hadn't he been watching me I would have rolled my eyes at his cheesiness. "Please. Forgive me, baby girl."

"Vic... lots of things have happened." My words were shaky as I forced them out.

"I know. We've made a lot of mistakes and...I deserve the shit you've done to me. I do. You've always put me in my place." He gave me a lop-sided grin. "You're a bad bitch, Gabs. The baddest around...you know how to kick a guy's ass!"

I smirked. Yeah, that I knew. "I'll always put you in your place, Vic." I reminded him.

"Yeah you will." His eyes sparkled at me. "Give us another chance, Gabi." His eyes were beseeching, the passion in them only lacerating my heart even more.

How easy it would be to just say yes. And I knew I was folding into him. Only because of the past and because he reminded me of the old Victor, the one I grew so fond of. Okay, I was surrendering.

"OK, Vic." I sounded so weak, like I barely believed my own words. I was so ashamed of myself. My friends would KILL me if they knew...

* * *

Dinner went by slowly. Every single minute seemed like jailtime. Ever since I had agreed to give Vic another chance, he was smothering me with cheesy lines and romantic gestures. I was never one for sensitivity. Sure, I was a hopeless romantic, the fairytales and the Nicholas Sparks books really got to me. But Vic's words never seemed natural, nor did his actions. He was trying so hard. I should have been flattered. Instead, I was disgusted and eager to get the hell out of that restaurant.

He kissed me on the lips before we departed. His lips were as smooth as I recalled. The kiss was simple and short-lived. It wasn't something you'd read about. Nor was it something you'd normally write about. I wasn't impressed. If anything, I was daydreaming about what a real kiss would feel like-where electricity flows through your whole body, where your heart floats in thin air, when all the oxygen you had left in your lungs just vanishes. I imagined I'd feel like that when I met 'the one'. For now, I had to settle for less. This WAS just a relationship. Just a committed relationship that would end someday. It was comfortable and trustworthy. Or so I thought...

I got into my Mustang and started up the engine. My phone had been off all night so I finally turned it on. While driving down the road, I listened to the several voicemails my best friend, Taylor McKessie had left me. Evidently she wanted to hang-out this weekend. I groaned inwardly. Taylor and I RARELY hung-out. Sure, we studied together at school and would meet up after class for lunch once in awhile. Once upon a time, we were inseparable. But after I met Victor, our friendship had changed dramatically. She no longer wanted to have anything to do with me. 'Til now.

My cell started to ring and Taylor's picture floated into view. Dammit.

"Hello?"

"Gabriella! Finally. Ugh, do you KNOW how many times I've called you in the past hour?"

"A good fifteen or at least that's what my phone says."

"Don't get an attitude with me, young lady! You explain." I could just imagine the big frown on Taylor's face.

I sighed. "Taylor, I've been busy."

"BUSY? Really? Oh, there's a new one." She muttered sarcastically. "Can't you get admit it? You hate having friends. We're just a nuisance to you."

"Tay! That's not the case-"

"Bull shit, Montez. You've been avoiding us all for months." She snapped, offended.

I parked on the side of the road, shutting my car off. "Taylor..."

"What are you doing right this moment? And don't you dare say you're at work. Carrie said you have the weekend off!"

I scoffed. Dammit, Carrie. "I'm...uh," God, I couldn't think of a quick excuse.

Taylor and I have been on the fence for quite some time now. Caught up with school and work, I didn't make much time for my friends anymore. And whenever we did hang-out, we simply just studied and they all lectured me about how I should leave Vic. I was sick of being told what to do, so I severed my ties with them altogether. They didn't understand. They never would. Not until they were put in the predicament themselves.

"I'm at home." I finally confessed, hanging my head as I unlocked the apartment.

Sharpay was nowhere to be found. She was probably out partying. It was Friday night.

"I'm coming over." Taylor didn't really allow me to say 'no'. It was more of a statement. Especially when she hung up on me.

I stripped out of my sleazy black dress throwing on some sweatpants and a white beater. The curls in my hair had been destroyed and were now small waves.

Taylor was at the apartment in less than twenty minutes, knocking on the door.

Putting my hair in a messy bun, I answered.

She surprised me when she wrapped her arms around me, giving me a full-on bear hug. She looked the same I last seen her in my Math class. Her dark hair was in a short bob. She wore a headband along with a miniskirt and a sweater. She was the only girl I knew that could pull-off the preppy look like you wouldn't believe.

She was squeezing me so tight, even though we had just seen eachother in class a few hours back. "Tay?"

She broke the embrace, charcoal eyes on me. "Gabriella. You look ill, have you been eating?" God, she sounded like my mom. "You're so thin!"

I rolled my eyes. OK, so maybe I hadn't been eatiing as much as normal. College was a lot of stress, as was Victor. And the idea of stuffing my face just didn't seem so appealing.

"I'm fine." I mumbled. "You act like we haven't seen each other in months..."

"Yeah, well it's different in class, you know that. I barely get to say a word to you. That teacher is like the antichrist." She gave me a small smile. She walked passed me, taking in the decorations...or the pink, everywhere. "Oh my God. This is ..."

"I know." I chuckled. "I'm always at the library though. Sharpay just...took things into her own hands."

Taylor was touching a sign that lit up, the words 'Princess' engraved on the sign. "This is a nightmare. She doesn't actually have people over, does she?" As she advanced towards the kitchen, a small yapping sound was heard. "Kobe? Kobe Bean?"

The Yorkshire Terrier was elated as he ran up to Taylor, jumping at her legs anxiously. She grinned at his excitement and grabbed him. "Boy did I miss this little guy!"

"You should see the outfits Sharpay has bought him..." I began, shaking my head.

Taylor looked disgusted as she scratched behind Kobe's tawny-colored ears. Kobe just closed his eyes, enjoying the attention. "Aw, you poor baby. What has that witch been doing to you?" She took a seat on the couch nearby. "Gabriella, you have to tell me everything. What's been going on?"

I plopped down on the recliner near the door. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing..."

"Yeah right." Taylor didn't seem convinced. "How are you and...Vic?" His name seemed poisonous to her. And I was a little surprised she didn't give him a more...colorful name.

"...Good. He um, quit drinking." I said quietly, chewing on my bottom lip.

"Oh really?" Taylor released the puppy from her arms. He darted across the room, heading to his little bed in the corner. "He told you this?"

I nodded, unable to look at her.

"Hmmm...yeah, he's always been one for honesty." Taylor didn't hide her distaste for him. Her eyes softened as my own finally met hers. "What is it about him, Gabs?"

I looked down to my feet, instantly. I was a little floored by her question. "...Taylor, can we talk about something else?" I begged, not wanting to argue with her.

I could see the irritation in Taylor's eyes as she flicked them away from me, finding the wallpaper much more interesting. "OK...how's Anatomy?"

My breathing steadied again. "Hard. Definitely challenges me...but it's kind of fun. Really wish you were there to suffer with me."

Taylor snorted. "I can handle Biology, Gabriella. But studying the human body just doesn't interest me." She straightened out her headband, her mind preoccupied by something. "Gabriella...have you met Troy Bolton?"

So much for breathing normally. My eyes blinked up, meeting Taylor's again. Why was she asking about Troy Bolton? "...Yes." I answered, the words meek but still there.

"...And." Taylor's eyes didn't leave mine. She was definitely up to something. She wanted me to say something, but I wasn't sure what.

She rarely acted this strange unless...

No way. I denied the possibility immediately.

"And? There are no words." I regretted my confession and actually held my mouth. Dammit.

"No words?" Taylor lifted an eyebrow. "How about, in those jeans?"

I blossomed. Oh my God. In those jeans...

"Taylor McKessie!" I exclaimed, getting up from my seat. "You were so checking out Troy Bolton's ass!" I had to stop myself from hyperventilating. My best friend RARELY noticed the opposite sex-she was very independent and for some bizarre reason, did not crave sex.

"Hey, so has the whole campus!" Taylor didn't like the way the way this conversation was going. "Gabriella, I need your input. NOW."

"Why? Did he ask you out?" I inquired, realizing how moronic that question was. Taylor and Troy? Oh wow. Chad would probably MURDER Troy.

Taylor looked like she wanted to slap me. "Yeah. Me and Troy..." She didn't have much patience and I could tell she was losing it. "Gabriella, are you freakin' stupid? Bolton is not my type!"

"But you like his ass!" I accused, my voice going up an octave.

Taylor rolled her eyes. "How you're going to be a doctor completely astounds me. GABRIELLA MARIA MONTEZ, DO YOU OR DO YOU NOT...think Troy Bolton is cute?" She was shouting now-so damn hot-tempered.

"Taylor, chill out! Yes, he's freaking cute, OK? But why does that matter?" 'Cute'? God, he wasn't 'cute'. He was beautiful! Gorgeous! Flawless! And those muscles...

"Because! Because..." Taylor huffed, fighting with the words to say. "Because Danforth told me..."

"Chad? You two are friends?" I hoisted an eyebrow. OK, so Taylor pretty much loathed Chad. She was convinced he was the biggest moron on the face of the planet. Just because he was a 'jock', and jocks were automatically labeled mindless in Taylor's mind.

"Chad and I are NOT friends," Taylor corrected. "We are by no means acquaintances! We just...talk sometimes." This was hard for her to admit, but she actually averted her face. Was she blushing?

"Taylor?"

"Anyways, Danforth told me that Bolton wants you. BAD." Taylor regained her composure and looked me in the eyes, an eager smile playing across her lips.

"W-what?" I stammered. Was she joking?

"You heard me."

I sat back down on the recliner, leaning back. No..that was...contrary to reason. Abstractly, my hands ran through my hair, messing up my curls even more. Troy? Like me? What was that? I couldn't even look at Taylor. I was too busy processing her words. Was this a hoax? It just had to be. A lot of guys liked me, so many had crushes on me. But Troy? He wasn't even...on the same level as me. He was so much better than me. He was a ten and I was barely brinking on eight. How in the world..?

"No." I was hoarse. "No. It's a joke."

Not Troy Bolton. Please tell me he didn't like me like that.

* * *

**T**

I spent my Friday night doing absolutely nothing. Which was crazy. Chad told me as long as Sharpay Evans was my enemy, we were pretty much forbidden from going to a party. She was evidently the 'it' girl on campus. So instead of drowning myself in shots of Vodka, I was found sitting on Chad's couch with him, drinking beer. Even though I hated beer and my stomach protested the whole time. Chad put on a few movies with half-naked women and I felt better.

Not much better though...

I woke up Saturday to the blatant ringing of my cell phone. I groaned as my eyes blinked open and I could still taste the beer in my mouth. And my stomach gurgled, pissed off at me for doing that to myself.

My eyes still closed, I answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Troy...it's me." The voice was filled with panic.

"Mom?" Suddenly my eyes opened quickly, my heart speeding up a little bit. Why did she sound like that? Something was wrong..

"Troy, I um...I need to borrow some money." She said quietly.

"Money? What the hell is going on?" I finally found the energy to get up from the couch.

"Honey..it's um..some friends of your dad's. Apparently my car...was..." She stuttered on her words, like she didn't want me to know the truth. "...Stolen."

"Stolen? Dad got you a stolen car?" For so long I've bottled my anger and hatred for my father, and I couldn't hold back my emotions any longer. My teeth gritted, I clutched onto the wall for support.

A sob was heard from the other line and my heart broke. My face twisted in pain as I listened to the woman that gave birth to me cry. And there was nothing I could do to console her, no way I could help her. "Mom...Mom." My voice cracked, the agony so powerful I lost function of my legs. My fist thrusted into the wall as I slid down to the floor, praying my mom would respond.

"Troy...sweetie, I'm so sorry." She whispered.

"Mom, my trust fund..it's for next semester." I reminded her.

"I know..I'm sorry."

What was I going to do? I mused as the other side of the line went silent. I could hear my heart slamming across my chest. The only sound perceptible right now. My mom must have said something else but everything was tuned out. I remained sitting on the floor, my back against the wall. My legs stretched in front of me. I stared emotionlessly at the ceiling. I must have thrown my phone across the room, angrily. It was in the corner.

I couldn't find it in me to move. I was paralyzed for the time being. So betrayed. He was fucking ruining my life. My eyes were stone as I watched the doorknob being turned.

Laughter was heard as Chad stumbled in, Super-douche at his heels. My hostility became more intense as I watched them converse between each-other, joking and giggling like little girls. Finally, I mustered enough strength to get up from the floor. I kicked the damn phone on my way towards Vic. Without giving it a second thought, I waltzed up to him, getting in his face. He must have been sober-he wasn't falling over and his eyes were full of color. I didn't care though.

"Have a good time with your boyfriend?" My question was directed to Chad. "How cute." I spat in his face, a smirk on my face.

Chad seemed confused. "Hoops? What the hell?"

"Bolton, go back to LA where you belong." Vic finally retaliated, backing away from me. "I ain't trying to pick a fight with you."

About to chase after him, I was blocked by Chad who threw himself between us. "Troy! Dude, what the heck is going on?"

"Fuck off, Chad." I wasn't in the mood to deal with him being Switzerland. I was going to pulverize this guy the way he deserved..."Let me handle this."

"You're tripping, man. It's not worth it. Lay off." Chad shook his head at me.

I watched Vic give me a shrug as he slammed the door to his room.

"Troy?" Chad was still trying to get my attention, but I ignored him. "What's wrong?" His tone softened.

"Don't worry about it, Chad." I countered as I grabbed my phone from the floor. "I'm just gonna go back to bed." Before I could flop back down on the couch, my best friend-pratically my brother, grabbed me by the shoulders and turned me around to face him.

Surprised by his courage, my cold blue eyes met his concerned brown. "Tell me." He demanded.

Even though I probably could lift more than Chad, I knew he could kick my ass. He had several times before. I may have had extreme training in Martial Arts and self-defense, but the guy knew how to throw hands better than anyone I knew. He was fast too. The look he gave me kind of unnerved me as I backed away from him.

"...My mom. She took my money." I swallowed, the words sinking in again.

"Huh? Your trust fund?" Chad asked.

"...Yeah. Guess my dad got her a stolen car. And now the owners of the car want the money."

"That sucks, man." He patted me on the shoulder. "How much is the car?"

"No idea. Pretty sure my account will be empty though." I sighed, running my hands through my long, tangled hair. "The hell am I gonna do?"

"Well, I'll give you some money to tie you over and..."

"No way!" I objected, my eyes widening. "Chad, that's bull shit. You're not gonna give me any money. I'm supposed to be giving YOU money."

"Hoops, you're my best friend, and you're in a bind. I'll give you some money. You can pay me back when you get a job."

My stomach churned. A job? Oh my god. "I have to get a job..." I muttered.

"...Well, that would be the smart thing, man." Chad chuckled. "Dude, just let me help you. You'll be alright. Don't pick fights with Vic though. He's trying to stay sober...and, c'mon man, do you even own a shirt?" He inquired, eyeballing my appearance-just basketball shorts.

I ignored his question. "What, he stopped drinking?"

Chad nodded. "He's trying. But who knows, ya know? Hey, um, I'd ask around about a job. Bet tons of places are hiring. Try a few restaurants." He suggested, casually.

He didn't get it. "Chad." My voice was desperate, broken a little bit. "I have no experience. I can't get a job."

"...You don't need experience." Chad furrowed his eyebrows. "Dude, you're serious? Are you really that clueless? Just go in a place and give them a smile, Bolton. It's easy."

"I doubt that." I grumbled. "I'm so fucked, Chad. What am I gonna do?"

"Well, stop talking like that for one," He lectured, folding his arms. "Just chill out, man. Like I said, ask around. I'll leave some money out for you tomorrow. You'll be fine."

I wanted to say no again, deny his offer, but he was heading to the bathroom, about to slam the door. I couldn't believe I was about to depend on someone else, someone like Chad, who could barely pay to keep his apartment. God, I was a horrible friend. I owed him so much already and...

"...Thanks, Chad." I said, under my breath as he closed the door. "You're the best."

* * *

It was around four o'clock in the evening when I decided to take a jog. I hadn't had much time to really work-out since I arrived in New Mexico. I really needed to get some fresh air, to sort things out in my mind. After realizing I had no choice but to get a job and take out a loan for next semester...I could barely keep myself together. I was about to be just like every other college kid. For some reason, that scared the hell out of me.

God, I didn't know anything about the real world. I was brought up with a silver spoon in my mouth. And I had everything I ever needed.

The sun was beginning to sink in the sky, tints of orange surrounding the blue sky. It was something close to breathtaking. The mountains looked gorgeous in the background. I had no idea how far I had ended up jogging. I wanted to just head towards campus, run along the sidewalk. Instead, I was coming up into the city-passing restaurants and tiny diners. The perspiration continued falling from my forehead, my hair now soaked in sweat. I must have smelled horrible but I kept running. I had to run away from my problems. The adrenaline continued kicking and I felt ten times better.

I pushed myself as far as I could go. My kneels were shaking and I knew I would collapse soon. But I just couldn't stop.

Until I laid my eyes on her.

My heart, pulsating around one hundred miles per hour, halted in my chest. No way. I couldn't believe it. It really was her.

I watched her as she laughed with a petite blonde, her radiant dark hair was thrown up in a ponytail. The curls fell to the end of her back. She was hanging out by one of the restaurants. She wore a pair of short shorts and a grey beater. But she looked amazing. I was so assured that she was the girl of my dreams. The angel from my nightmares. Finally, she was a part of my own world..

She waved the blonde off and hopped on a cruiser bike that had a small basket on it. Her thin legs effortlessly pedalled the bike, heading towards me. But she didn't recognize me yet. The air was still and the heat had finally died down as her eyes finally connected with mine.

I gave her a smile, the best I could at the moment. Although I was still fighting a battle inside of me, just seeing her made everything so much easier.

She parked the bike by one of the buildings and made her way towards me. "Troy?"

* * *

Author's note: Please don't hurt me for writing this chapter. I'm new to this site and I really am so appreciative for your reviews/favorites/follows. I've been without WIFI for what seems like ever..so I've been walking to Starbucks and other places to get internet..just so you guys stay with me! I am warning you though, this story will progress slowly. But the bonding between Troy and Gabriella will be constant. Let me know what you think, or even some suggestions! I am open for everything. Thanks so much for your support!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Apologizing about the length! A whooping almost 10,000 words O_O

* * *

**G**

I finally figured out why I was so outlandish compared to most people my age.

I LOATHED the weekends. I mean, absolutely loathed them.

I woke up Saturday, bored out of my mind. Sharpay didn't even come home on Friday night. She was far too engrossed in partying her life away. She'd probably be gone all Saturday night too, if I was lucky.

It was a miracle when Carrie called me from the Olympia Cafe, begging I come in tonight. College students were quitting from left to right, mostly because they had homework up to their forehead. I had probably worked fifty hours this week alone. Although I should have been sick of the place, I was more than eager to get out of the apartment. I didn't have a life, but sitting around pondering about things...just made that so much clearer.

Central Ave wasn't so far away, so I decided to just hop on my cruiser and bike there.

After making a whooping fifty dollars, I was released from the sauna around sunset. Carrie walked me out.

Caroline Hemingway was one of those friends you loved to hate. With her platinum blonde hair that never faded, and her hazel eyes, she was Kate Hudson with harder features. The girl had guys falling all over her. She often told me that guys liked me more, but I disagreed. Whenever the girl entered a building, all eyes belonginng to the male species were on her. I was intimidated by how gorgeous she was. And how oblivious she was to her good looks.

"Gabi, you just can't get enough of this place. Admit it." She gave me a perfect smile as I approached my cruiser.

"Sometimes it feels that way," I admitted. "When do you get off?"

"Soon, I'm hoping. But being short-staffed..." She sighed. "Even you were lucky to get off before dusk."

She was right about that. "I know."

"Hey, I'll um catch ya later, OK? Call me sometime this week." Carrie suggested.

I waved her off.

Carrie was probably one of my closest friends. We spent a lot of time working together. And I confided in her a lot. But we rarely hung-out. Like I mentioned before, I didn't make time for friends. I had enough on my plate.

She headed back into the restaurant as I pedalled my bike towards my destination-home. I groaned inwardly. I really didn't want to go home. That apartment was so damn lonely at night. Every other normal adolescent was out with people doing humanlike things. And I was going to be my usual remote self, probably wrapped up in a good book or a cute romantic comedy. Vic was working so he wouldn't bother me tonight. And Taylor was at some meeting for college (not like I'd hang-out with her anyways). Sometimes, I abhorred myself for being so antisocial.

I tried to think positive thoughts. But my thoughts were interrupted when I recognized a familiar figure walking towards my direction. Troy?

My heart stiffened as blue eyes blinded me momentarily. "Troy?"

Fortunately for me, the boy actually had a shirt on. He wore an old gray t-shirt and a pair of basketball shorts. His long, shag of dark hair was drenched. He must have ran about ten miles. He looked exhausted.

The thing that got me was the way the falling sun danced across his face. Just for a second. And then the second was over, bringing his beautiful face into view. "Gabriella."

I was dragging my cruiser, curious to what he was doing here. Out of all the places in this big city...

"What are you doing here?" He asked, reading my mind.

"I work there." I nodded to the restaurant not too far behind me. "...Please don't tell me you went on a jog. It's only...one hundred degrees?"

He chuckled, putting his hands in front of him. "Caught in the act. You work at that cafe?" He was at my side, following me.

"Four years," I confessed. "I should own that cafe by now."

"I agree. You should." He added.

Something occurred to me as we continued walking, side by side. I suddenly remembered what Taylor mentioned-that Troy had a crush on me. I stole a glimpse of him, wondering if she was speaking the truth. But when he continued looking to his feet and avoiding my eyes, focused on the path...I knew I didn't believe her. He seemed lost in his thoughts.

"Why were you jogging? You know, there's a gym not too far from here...that'd probably be healthier."

"You're probably right." Finally, profound eyes rose from the ground. "I just..had to clear my head." His words were a little shaky.

I had an impetuous urge to hold him, but I refrained. "Are you OK?"

"I'm fine." It seemed like a fabrication. "Hey Gabs?"

I was stunned by the way he said 'Gabs', like we were friends maybe. Only my friends called me 'Gabs'. Victor would be so angry...

"What's up?"

"My, um, friend..." He stammered, averting his gaze again. "He's looking for a job. You know of any place hirinng?"

There was a hidden meaning to this. I had already unravelled the truth. "Olympia's hiring." I told him as we passed several buildings. I barely noticed my surroundings-too caught up in Troy Bolton. "...The place I work. We're really short-staffed. I could get your friend an interview. You too, if you're interested." I persisted.

I didn't miss the hope that filled his irises. "Oh?"

"Mmmhm. Interested?" I piqued.

I knew his secret. He was the one who needed the job. It was too obvious. "You need a job, Troy?"

"Why would you think that?" He jabbered immediately, an almost panicked look taking him over. "Is it really...that obvious?"

"It's written all over your face." I chuckled. "It's OK, you know. I know...about everything."

He paled. "Everything?"

I breathed in. "Your dad. I heard about...your dad."

My brown eyes dared to peek at Troy's expression. He looked..tormented. His eyes were slits as he couldn't look from the pavement. He was humiliated. "...You know." He repeated, like the idea was lethal. "...People know."

"So what, Troy?" I continued forward. "Everybody makes mistakes."

I no longer heard the sound of Troy's tennis-shoes clanking against the ground. "I didn't want you to find out." His voice was barely audible.

Me? Why was it a big deal if I found out? I was just a stranger to Troy. "Don't be embarrassed." I told him, turning to face him. Without thinking, I impulsively grabbed for his hand. It was..strangely warm, but calloused probably due to extensively playing basketball.

His vexation was short-lived when he realized my gesture. Oceans stealing my heart before I could even exhale. My face reddened as I suddenly understood my mistake. I dropped his hand, like it was on fire.

"Gabriella?" He said my name.

"I'm sorry." I apologized, still in a frenzy over my thoughtlessness.

"What are you sorry for?" He was confused. "...You're allowed to touch me, whenever you want, you know." For some reason, there was no wink or cheesy smile after he told me this. Instead, he looked dead serious.

I swallowed, clutching my bike for dear life-as if the object would save me from my emotions. "T-Troy. You know, things will get better."

He blinked, as if finally remembering our previous conversation. Terror etched across his features, but he started walking again, shoving his hands into his short's pockets. The sexiest brooding man I've ever seen.

I pushed my bike forward, keeping up with him.

"You know..." Troy began, running a hand through his long hair. I considered he needed a haircut...I wanted to just push the bangs away from his eyes, but abstained. "One minute I'm shooting hoops with my dad. Then, I'm standing there, holding my Mom...while he's getting escorted to the police car...and all I could think...was how much I hate the guy."

"I doubt you HATE him..."

"I fucking hate him." His eyes blazed a fire as he rested them on me for a second. Then, they left, finding the ground again. "How could he betray us? Thought we were a family."

"Everybody makes mistakes." I reminded him, keeping my voice low. I didn't want to provoke him, or piss him off. "Even the people we love. I'm sure there's a legitimate reason he had to stoop to that level. We all...make mistakes. Sometimes to protect the people we love."

He furrowed his eyebrows, stealing a glance. "You sound like you know from..experience."

I shrugged casually. "One time, I made a mistake. A mistake that I regret..." I clutched the side of my stomach, holding myself together at the thought. "Every single day."

"But..you're perfect." Troy interjected, not letting me finish. Sparkling blue found dark brown in the dusk of the night, electrifying my universe.

"I...I am not perfect." I stuttered, shocked at his comment. Did he actually say that or was that my imagination? I stopped walking.

He scratched the back of his neck, obviously realizing he said a bit too much. "What'd you do, Gabi?" He froze in his spot also.

"It's..nothing." I lied, biting down on my bottom lip. "Not even Taylor knows. Just something I did..a while back. It'd hurt a lot of people. I don't want to relive it." I stepped forward.

"But you want to tell someone," Troy observed, catching up with me. "It hurts you that no one knows."

In a way, it did. I was stabbing all my friends in the back by not speaking up. I had hurt pretty much every person that ever trusted me. And especially the one that believed in me the most...even though it sometimes didn't seem like it.

"You're right." I admitted, sighing.

"Tell me. I won't judge you, Gabriella." He seemed sincere, blue eyes slandering me from the side.

"Maybe one day."

"Promise?" He elbowed me, butterflies reeling the pit of my stomach.

"As long as you try and see from your dad's perspective." Although I wasn't assuring him of anything, he thought differently-a satisfied smile on his lips. I regretted my words immediately, staring ahead impassively.

Troy frowned. "Yeah...maybe." He wasn't pleased about the idea. "Your place is nearby?"

He must have forgotten the location of Sharpay's apartment. We were pretty far away still. I wasn't sure how long he was going to walk with me. We were hardly away from my restaurant still. Our pace a little sluggish.

"Not really. Are you still interested in a job?" I halted, my bike stopping along with me.

Troy responded with the same actions, his eyes lingering on me. He was bemused with his thoughts. "...Kind of." Evidently, he didn't want one. But he had no other choice.

Being brought up with a silver spoon in your mouth would do that to you, I'd guess.

I whipped out my cell phone, surprising him. I dialed a number I knew too well. "Carrie? Hey, it's me, Gabriella."

"Gabriella! God, miss me already? Why you calling here?" She inquired.

"Hey, is Mark there?"

She hesitated for a minute. I could hear muffled voices on the other side of the phone.

Troy was busy looking lost on what was going on.

"Yeah, he JUST got here for the night shift." Carrie finally answered. "Why, what's up?"

"Um, I've got something for him." I couldn't fight the vain smile accompanying my lips.

I hit the end button, receiving a hoisted eyebrow from Troy.

"OK..." I began, my eyes locked on him. "We're going back to the restaurant. I'm going to get you an interview."

* * *

In a few minutes, we were back at the place I could practically call home. I was there enough, after all.

Troy wasn't so confident as we stepped up to the entrance of the dwelling. I had seen a variety of emotions from him tonight. But instead of plaguing me with his constant drama, he made me see how strong of a person he was. I actually envied him for overcoming such obstacles in life. To me, he was a fighter. And talking to him was so easy. I could have told him anything. He was the best friend I never had. When our eyes met, there was a binding connection between us.

The sky was a darker blue, almost lavendar color. The sun had vanished within the mountains a few minutes ago. Yet, twilight had yet to come.

The restaurant was bustling since it was a Saturday night. Though I sometimes felt uncomfortable with Troy by my side, we managed to cut through the chaos. The only factor that made this almost dangerous was Vic. He would not only pummel me but I'm sure he would find a good way to impale Troy the best he could. I wasn't really concerned though. Troy could take care of himself. He proved that the other night.

Funny how this place was dead just a half an hour ago.

I rushed towards the kitchen, running right into Carrie. Troy was a distance behind me, his hands in his pockets again.

"Hey! What's up?" Carrie greeted. She was upbeat as always. She hadn't even noticed the gorgeous man behind me.

"Hey, Carrie. Can I speak to Mark?" I was persistent, but I knew it was getting dark. And riding my bike in obscurity didn't appeal to me.

Almost on instinct, Troy banished the lapse between us, now standing only a few centimeters from my back.

Carrie froze on the spot, her almost green eyes twinkling in mischief as she rested her eyes on Troy. "...Well, then." She cleared her throat, nodding her head towards Troy, who just shuffled his feet uncomfortably. "Who is THIS, Gabi? Is he yours?"

I almost choked on thin air at her assumption, as did Troy. I threw her a death glare.

"Oh. Shit, I forgot you were with the backstreet boy. Hi! I'm Carrie." Carrie grinned, taking a big leap towards Troy.

"Carrie! Mark! NOW." I pretty much had to demand, folding my arms. I knew she was boy crazy, but come on!

She ignored my proposal, her gaze never leaving Troy. She was wetting her lips with her tongue. Some kind of seduction technique, I'd assume.

Troy was...well, still a little uneasy, but managed to give her a smile. "I'm Troy." He introduced.

"Troy. Like the movie?" Carrie continued. She was a little more speculative than normal. But I should have expected that-Carrie always took heed to good-looking guys like Troy.

Troy nodded. "Yeah...like the movie."

I rolled my eyes. Could we get a move on? "Carrie. Please get me Mark."

"FINE." Carrie surrendered, her arms going up. She didn't look happy. "I'll be right back...Troy." She gave him a charming smile before disappearing into the kitchen.

Silence transpired between us for a given minute.

"...She's cute." He finally said. Unfortunately for me, he sounded pretty sincere.

His confession boggled my mind for a second as I whirled around to look at him. He had a guiltless expression, his lips tugging upward ever-so-slightly. I wanted to erase that stupid expression but I knew I couldn't. Even if my stomach was being tied into knots.

"A lot like you." He added suddenly at my sour frown. He had inched his way towards me, his breath smoldering against my ear. My heart leapt from my chest for a second.

Oh, what that boy did to me.

"Gabriella?" My infatuation was put to rest when Mark approached us. He looked pretty flustered.

With graying dark hair and a lot of lifelines, my boss looked more like he was sixty then forty-five. Nonetheless, he was a good-looking man and had a new romance every month.

Troy's stance changed at the realization that my boss was standing in front of us. The easygoing, flirtacious Troy seemed to vaporize. He was now in full-on, 'I-have-no-idea-what-the-hell-I'm-supposed-to-do' panic mode. I wanted to reach out and just hold his shoulder, praying to God he wouldn't collapse. Had he EVER applied for a job before?

Carrie left the kitchen seconds after Mark. She was playing charades with me from behind him, as if I could interpret her movements. I rolled my eyes.

"I um..." I directed my attention on Troy. "Found you a potential new employee!" I nearly slapped myself for sounding so enthusiastic...so out of character.

Mark barely lifted an eyebrow. Botox..probably. The guy owned about five other restaurants; he was swimming in money. "New employee, eh?"

Troy decided to muster up some courage, stepping up. "Hi, I'm Troy Bolton." Was that a wobbly smile he had on his lips?

Weren't rich kids supposed to be polished and dauntless? This guy was shaking in his boots, having no clue where to begin to schmooze my boss. Welcome to reality.

Sympathizing for him and his awkwardness, I realized I should say something. "Mark, Troy is a great worker. We used to work together...before I got this job. He definitely pleased the customers! Every time." My face blossomed at this lie.

Troy's eyes swam with amusement when they flickered over to me. "I'm very subservient."

Subservient? I glanced over to Carrie, who seemed to be repressing laughter. What the hell was this word he was describing himself as?

Mark didn't have to say anything. He looked as disoriented as the rest of us. "Um... well, if that's the case..." He finally retorted, still iffy, "Step into my office." He waved Troy towards the kitchen, heading in the direction of his office.

Troy looked back at me, mouthing 'Thanks'. I gave him a small smile before he winked at me, disappearing into the kitchen.

"OK, missy!" I forgot that Carrie was still around.

I groaned, not even bothering to mask my irritation. "Hi, Carrie."

"Who IS he?" She asked, finding it the right time to bombard me with questions. "Does he go to school with us? Does backstreet know?"

'Backstreet' was code-name for Victor. Carrie had a lot of quirks. One being that she made up her own names for people.

"HE is Troy, remember? We just...went through this. He does go to our school. He actually just moved here from Los Angeles. And no...'Backstreet' does not know about this. So you better keep your mouth shut!" I seethed.

"Wow, Gabi! Two guys at once? That is so hot!" Carrie smirked. "But no offense, I think California has him beat." Of course, she deemed Troy a code name now too.

"Oh brother." I sighed, understanding conversing with her was well...impossible. "Troy and I are not 'together' you dumb-ass." She cowered at my insult.

"Well that's a shame! So that means he's single right?" Normally, I thought her hazel eyes were really pretty. But when they grew a few sizes, I wanted to rip them to shreds. (I learned I'm a pretty violent person.)

I became speechless for a second realizing this was true. Troy WAS single. And Carrie was ready to dig her paws into him the moment she had the chance. I really didn't want to watch that scene unfold. Carrie got every guy she ever wanted. Troy would be no exception.

"Yes. He's single." I huffed.

Carrie's zealous attitude continued.

Of course, Troy and Carrie would be kind of amazing together. They would compliment each-other. Carrie was full of energy. She was the optimistic-bright and cheerful. She would light up Troy's ominous world.

Suddenly, I was tainted with jealousy. I may feel a certain way for Troy but it was only lust. Only attraction. I was Victor's and there was nothing I could do. My heart remained imprisoned-chains I'd be lucky to break one day. I mean...I guess there was a resolution to all of this. But I wasn't that type of girl. I wouldn't be a cheater...ever again.

When I looked up from the boring wooden floor, Mark and Troy were coming back. They seemed to be laughing and smiling-that was a plus.

"Yeah, I've only been to the Sierras...went on a vacation there. It was beautiful!" Mark rambled, his fondness for Troy shining through.

Besides Vic, everybody seemed to adore Troy.

"My grandparents live up there," Troy told him, now holding a t-shirt and apron. "It was definitely a whole new world."

The two came to a stop, taking a gaunder at Carrie and I.

Mark glared at Carrie, "Hemingway, get back to work!"

Carrie nodded quickly, scurrying off to the kitchen.

"Well, it was nice to meet you, Troy." Mark was earnest when he shook Troy's hand. "I'll see you Monday?"

Troy beamed. "Thank you so much for this opportunity...sir!" 'Sir' sounded a bit foreign coming out of his mouth. I could tell he wasn't used to working underneath people..rather having people work underneath him.

(I imagine that sounded terribly wrong.)

Mark nodded towards me, a gesture that didn't go unnoticed.

I followed Troy out of the restaurant. "You got the job?" I asked, excitedly.

There was a big grin on his beautiful face. "Yeah I did. Thank you, Gabriella." I had only gotten the chance to see him smile and laugh a few times. But right now, the way he was looking at me was absolutely priceless. Not for one minute did I regret getting him a job at my place. He was too appreciative of it.

Keep breathing, Gabriella. Just because he's flawless...

However before I could respond, Carrie popped her head out of the door, "See you Monday Troy!" She was waving ecstatically.

Troy responded with a chummy wave, but I wasn't sure if he was as enthusiastic as her. I hoped not.

"So..." I inhaled sharply as I cornered my bike. "Guess this is goodbye for now?"

Nightfall had came and I knew getting home would be quite an adventure.

"You alright? You need me to walk you?" Troy inquired suddenly. He sounded very concerned, which baffled me. He shouldn't worry about my safety.

I shook my head. "Oh, God no, I'll be fine. I'm a pro at seeing in the dark." I chuckled, as did he.

"Are you working Monday?" Hope glinted in his pretty blue eyes.

"They're supposed to call me with my schedule. Probably." I answered, casually. "You'll do just fine."

Backing away, I noticed the change in temperature. It definitely went down a few degrees, now about sixty-five. There was a comfortable breeze though and I knew I would enjoy the independence on my way home. However, I was hassled with this new, unnerving feeling about walking away from Troy Bolton. I didn't want to leave. My heart ached at just the thought as I began counting my steps.

In the midst of my counting, I could feel the pressure of Troy's intense sapphires on me. I'm sure they looked extraordinary in the moonlight. And I didn't have the strength to keep my back turned.

When I whirled around to face him, our eyes met-hormones in my body feeling unneccesary want and desire. One thing my best friend always told me-I was the type of girl who thought with her heart and her nether region, rather than her head.

Right now my most vital organ (my heart) was going berserk.

The look that Troy possessed was unlike any look someone's ever given me. It was something of appreciation-he was grateful, I already knew. But as he took small strides towards me, I panicked. I wondered what he was going to do. Towering over me, my breath became hitched into my throat. What now?

But my heart nearly melted in my chest when Troy wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into a thankful hug. The hug wasn't bone-crushing, nor was it intimiate. But I was still rather aroused, hot and bothered by it. With my hands clutching onto the end of his back, I could only fantasize. And wonder what it would be like to run my hands through the crevasses of his body...the muscles formed in his shoulder blades.

Being so short, I could barely cradle my head into the nook of his neck, but I tried my best. He smelled like clean laundry and a little bit of perspiration on a sunny afternoon. But he was contagious. If forever passed by, I wouldn't have noticed...

"I thought I'd have to sell my favorite jeans...thanks, Gabi." His words danced in my ear, tickling my emotions like you wouldn't believe.

"No problem..." I blushed as he pulled away, giving me a rather boyish grin before disappearing into the night.

Meanwhile, I couldn't stop wheezing. What the hell WAS that? Was there a purpose to that, or did he just want to make me feel uncomfortable? Victor would have destroyed me and Troy in an instant if he knew. I couldn't remember the last time I felt a man's arms harked around me...or the last time I was so mesmerized by someone's presence.

I swallowed the lump that had formed earlier in my esophagus before jumping on my cruiser and practically racing back home.

* * *

**T**

I woke up Monday morning with a little kick. And no, I didn't have any coffee yet. I slept pretty damn good though the night before. Knowing I had a job and something to fall back on made me feel better. I was still a little nervous, of course. For a minute, I was going through my things, seeing what I could sell and how much money I could make.

Gabriella was an angel in disguise though. I was totally shocked when she helped me get a job at her work. I knew her boyfriend would probably go ballistic if he found out. But I tried to overlook the idea. After the friendly hug I offered Gabriella, I felt much better. Although my heart was racing the whole time. I actually thought she would decline, push me away. It was platonic but...to me, it felt sinful and...

Sexual.

I threw on my favorite G-star jeans. Glad I wouldn't have to give them up.

I headed into the kitchen, heedless to the fact I wasn't wearing a shirt. Chad was used to this, though he complained a lot. New Mexico was so humid though and I wasn't about to sweat my ass off. Though the nighttime it cooled down, the wind was impotent during the day. Another words, it was miserable.

To my dismay, someone was watching the weather channel in the living-room. And it wasn't Chad.

Vic sat with his legs sprawled, a Starbuck's coffee and a bowl of cereal in front of him. Coffee, must be nice... he was pretty caught up in the news. He was dressed more casual then normal-his jeans were kind of baggy, along with his t-shirt. Shadows under his dull eyes, like he hadn't slept.

I fixed myself a bowl of cereal. As I was heading towards the living-room, I found a note by my cell phone, along with what I presumed was one hundred dollars. My eyes widened.

_Troy, went into class early today to get some work done. Take the money..no worries._

_Chad_

Vic hadn't noticed me yet as I grabbed the hundred dollar bill, shoving them into my jean pockets. My stomach lurched at the thought of taking Chad's money. I planned on yelling at him later, throwing him his money. I didn't want it. Chad needed that money more than I did. Plus, I had a job.. I was going to be okay. He was my best friend, my fucking brother practically. The guy did enough for me as it was..he didn't need to pay for ANYTHING.

"Lord I hate the weather channel. They play the most depressing music...it seriously makes me contemplate suicide. Especially when I'm NOT drinking coffee." Vic's voice brought me out of my trance.

Was he talking to me? Or to himself?

I pushed my dark hair out of my face, heading towards the couch. Befriending the enemy? Was that a horrible idea? Especially when I was ogling his girlfriend half the time?

With my cereal I plopped down. Not close to Vic because that would be...fatal. I completely lashed out on him the other day after finding out about my mom's stolen car. I needed to channel my anger and hatred somewhere.

"Yeah I know. It's like a funeral...plus it just makes you wanna go back to sleep. Without coffee." I mused, actually attempting to converse with...the enemy.

How awkward. Chad would be proud though.

Vic actually snickered at my comment. "I know. And how does Chad not own a coffee-maker?"

"I took him into Starbuck's the other day and he looked lost. Like he's never been in a coffee shop."

"The dude hasn't. Chad's cool and all, but...he's a little odd." He interjected. His fatigued eyes glanced over to me. "Look, sorry 'bout the other night...ya know, with Gabi. I was drinking. Though that doesn't make it OK."

"It's whatever." I bit my lip harshly, this conversation getting even weirder. "But yeah, sorry I lashed out on you the other night. Just..was pissed off about something and I had to channel my anger somewhere."

"Know the feeling well... not saying I like you. 'Cuz I still think you're a pretty boy."

I raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? Pretty boy kicked your ass.."

His mouth twitched a little, like he wanted to say something. Probably holding back the umbrage we both knew so well. "So you play a lot of b-ball?"

Why was this guy trying so hard to make conversation with me? Was it because of Gabriella? Because he knew she didn't mind having me around?

Yeah right.

I nodded. "Pretty much grew up on it."

"Guess that's why you and Chad get along so well." Vic flipped through the channels, nonchalantly. "The dude has been obsessed since I've known him."

"Yeah. I kick his ass every time though..so don't let him fool you." I smirked. This was one of the few things I was very arrogant about.

My eyes directed to the television, "So you've lived at Albuquerque for awhile?" Great, now I was folding into the pressure-attempting to socialize with this guy. Only for Gabriella's sake. Only because I wanted to understand her better.

"Psh.. born and raised!" Vic shook his head. I could tell he wasn't that fond of New Mexico. "This place is my own prison. It's so HOT."

Honestly, I agreed. Though I've heard rumors that during the wintertime, Albuquerque could get some severe snowfall. This scared me a little. I rarely had to deal with snow-living in Los Angeles most of my life, I was used to no rain and no snow.

Maybe it'd be wondrous though. Whenever I watched old movies, I kind of dreamt of a winter wonderland with giant snowflakes and thousands of Christmas lights. God, I'm an idiot-I'm already eager about Christmas and it wasn't even autumn.

Point of the matter-right now, New Mexico was kind of unbearable right now, at least during the day with the sun that was blazing like fire.

"I haven't seen you at the university though..." I mentioned outloud.

Here I was getting all upclose and personal.

"Yeah, 'cuz I barely go. It's always been weird for me. I'm a lot older than most freshmen." He explained. "I take a lot of online classes. I'm always working..like today." He flattened his cheaply-made jeans.

I wondered what kind of job would trump school. Must be some good cash.

"Oh." For some reason, it wasn't so hard to keep a conversation with this guy. Not saying I liked him, because he treated Gabriella like shit...but, he wasn't so bad I guess. At least, when he was sober. "You stopped drinking?"

Vic stopped scanning through the channels. "Yeah...I did. Mostly for Gabi...I was being a total ass, ya know? I just wanna get my shit together. Save my money up and get my own place..pop out some kids." He elbowed me. "Have a bunch of towheads."

"Oh? Sounds like you have some big plans...for you and..." The name was a little hard for me at the moment. "Gabriella." I finished, my voice becoming a little hoarse.

Vic didn't notice. "Yeah, yeah. I've got plans. Who doesn't?" He was pretty mellow for discussing marriage and kids.

For me, marriage and kids was a lifetime away. I had barely lived yet. And when I did marry, I didn't want to endup divorcing within a century. I was cheesy enough-knowing I would never declare my vows unless it was my soulmate. The woman would have to make my world stop..she would have to complete my universe. Otherwise, it was futile.

He got up from his seat, dumping out the cereal's contents into the trash. His eyes were on me for a second, as if ponderng over something he was going to say.

Then, he folded his arms and added, "Long as you don't take her away from me."

I barely had a moment to process the words before Vic had slammed the door, leaving me alone with his comment. Damn...so much for thinking we made amends.

* * *

I found Zeke in Algebra later on, deciding to ask him a little bit about Vic.

"Dude? You serious? You two were...talking? Like a civilized conversation?" Zeke was kind of alarmed-like this was a very bad idea, and Vic may kill me later.

"Yeah, sort of." I looked through my notebooks, trying to identify my Algebra one. "It was weird."

"Yeah, 'specially when you've got the hots for his girl." Zeke grinned knowingly.

I had to restrain myself from pummeling Zeke for the observation.

"Shut up." I grumbled, jolting down some questions that were on the board. "Did you do the homework this weekend?"

Zeke's eyes expanded. "Wha? Homework?" He was looking over my shoulder, as if I had the answers in front of me.

"Dude, it was online. I'm guessing you didn't do it?"

He paled. "Eh...guess I was a little tied up. Ally Jennings had a big party."

"Who's Ally?" I asked, still a little out of the loop.

"Ally's pretty hot. She's one of Sharpay's friends." He answered, shrugging casually as he got out of his notebook. "You REALLY need to make up with Shar. Then you can party with the big boys again."

I laughed. "Yeah, I guess so."

Honestly, I wanted to apologize to Sharpay. Apparently she was the 'it' girl on campus. I did feel a little bad about the way things ended. I was pretty detached, a little heartless. Just because the girl liked me and I didn't feel the same... I shouldn't have been so rude. Then again, she DID throw her heels at me. That was a little bizarre.

When class ended, Zeke was at my side. "Hey, you're gonna try-out for b-ball, right?"

"Yeah. Just tell me the time and place."

Of course I was planning on trying out for the team. Though college teams were a lot harder and you usually had to know someone and get a reference from a high school coach. That would be a piece of cake though-I excelled and was basketball captain in high school. Plus I had met a lot of professional basketball players who I could bring up. I still had their numbers in my phone.

"It's next week some time." He informed me. "You better make it, man. You're cocky enough about it.."

"Don't fret, Baylor," I chaffed, slapping him on the shoulder. "I'll make it...speaking of which, I'm gonna give you my digits so when you wanna play some b-ball and Chad's being...Chad, you can hit me up." I got out my Iphone.

Zeke responded immediately getting out his own phone. "Yeah, Chad's cool but he's kind of a baby sometimes and doesn't wanna have any fun." He chuckled as I typed my number into his phone and he did the same with my own phone.

"I say you should still go for Gabriella though." Zeke suddenly said as we both put our phones away.

I was tight-lipped at his suggestion. For some reason, any time someone mentioned her, my heart kind of halted in my chest. And I could feel my face burning. "Um...really?" Not to mention my usual confidence was gone. Gabriella was kind of a deflation to my self-esteem.

"Yeah. Vic's kind of an ass. And Gabs is sensitive." He explained. Zeke was getting pretty solemn about this conversation-his expression a little sympathetic. "I just think maybe you'd be a better match for her. And maybe she'd realize she deserves better once she's treated better. I dunno...just..don't..lose hope. I've never lost hope with Sharpay." He scratched the back of his neck, awkwardly. "Don't listen to Chad either. He just thinks you're gonna get your heart broken."

My eyes lingered on Zeke. My heart broken? What the hell? What am I...a girl? Why was Chad being so..protective? I could take care of myself. And he knew that.

"Heart broken?" I spat, pretty pissed off. "I'm not a GIRL."

Zeke kind of snickered. "Well, Gabi's a heartbreaker, Troy. She's done it before."

Oh? "What do you mean?"

"You know, those guys that Vic chased away..they thought they had a chance. Gabriella has a problem saying no." He shrugged, like this wasn't new information.

Great. So that hug I gave her, she probably only returned it because she has a problem moving her feet or something like that. It didn't mean anything.

I tried to keep my composure as Zeke gave me a wave, heading towards his next class.

I ran my hands through my hair before I headed towards my Chemistry lab, dreading it completely.

Taylor was sitting in her usual seat. She was wearing a sweater and a pair of capris. She looked obviously irritated over something as she looked through her notebook furiously.

"Missing something?" I asked, sliding into the seat next to her.

She gasped. "Bolton! Don't creep up on me like that. Sheesh." She went back to her search. "I'm actually trying to find my notes from last lab." She then flipped to a page and sighed with relief. "Oh, found it..thank God."

"So, how's everything?" She was finally attentive to my presence.

I shrugged carelessly. "Fine, I guess. Got a job." This was actually a big deal considering I was robbed last night. But I remained neutral.

Taylor lifted a pompous eyebrow. "A job? But you're...loaded, aren't you?" The girl never really held back, if you couldn't notice. She was just straight forward.

"Some extra money can't hurt." I decided to play cool. "And I need to meet new people." I didn't mention the fact that GABRIELLA was the one to get me this job. Spending some extra time with her was always a plus.

"Hmm." Taylor didn't seem convinced but she dropped it.

"So what'd you do this weekend?" I changed the subject, faking interest in Taylor's colorless life. (All the girl did was study.)

She let out some air. "Well I'm involved in this Chemistry group...we're actually concocting experiments for this science fair.." She was about to go into further detail.

"God, McKessie. You really are a geek, aren't you?" I cut her off, a little disgusted that she was THAT involved in school. Damn, the girl really needed a break.

Taylor huffed. "Yeah, whatever. Maybe you should join. I think you'd do well." She smirked, as if mocking me for being slightly intelligent.

"Me? Science fair? Um..." I had a very disturbing image of myself with a lab coat on, along with some safety goggles. My hair was flared out unnaturally and I just made something explode. "...Not so much."

"Expand your horizons. You're boring." She taunted. Yeah, I was the bland one. At least I did more than participate in school events! "It'd impress GABRIELLA..." She grinned, presumptuously as my face went five different shades of red.

I really detested that she knew about my newfound crush on Gabriella. Though she said she would somehow play matchmaker and make it happen, I highly doubted it. I could tell she was at least on my side though, rather than Vic's.

"You know, I told her about your little schoolgirl crush..."

My mouth opened. "Taylor! What the hell-"

"Oh, chill out Troy. It's not a big deal. She barely believed me anyways. She does think you're 'cute' though. My mission has yet to be completed."

'Cute'? I rolled my eyes. "My mom thinks I'm 'cute', Taylor."

"Hey, it's better then nothing."

"I can't believe you told her!" I exclaimed, my voice going up a few octaves. So badly, I just wanted to hit this girl..

"Save the dramatics for her, Bolton. I think you're onto something."

"Onto something? More like..onto nothing." I buried my head into my arms, feeling sick to my stomach.

Taylor wasn't feeling sympathy for me. "Oh, how masculine of you. Seriously, you really are a sensitive little boy. Grow some balls and just be yourself. Gabi thinks with her heart, not her head. That's why I think you're onto something."

"Her heart? But her hearts with Super-douche!" I reminded her. God, I was whining like a little girl. Maybe Chad was right.

Taylor gave me a peculiar look. "Super-douche? Seriously?"

"Whatever. I'm just saying."

"Stop pouting. Seriously think your testicles just shrinked down a few inches."

I didn't even bother to look at Taylor when she said this. "Yeah, OK...so I'm supposed to be Mr. Endearing and just...blow her mind?"

"Maybe you should watch some Romantic comedies, Troy." Taylor suggested. "Get some ideas. If all else fails...just give her the look."

"The look?" Now she was speaking jibberish.

"You know, give her the bedroom eyes. Or whatever it is that you do to seduce women."

Seduce women? Um..."Get them drunk?"

I honestly couldn't remember the last time the girl was SOBER. God, what was to become of me? I was a complete player. I treated girls like dirt. And Taylor was currently fuming.

Taylor's eyes ignited some kind fire and I had to seriously push my chair away from her. I was terrified. "ARE YOU STUPID?" She yelled, so loud the whole class turned to her.

My face flushed, as it was kind of obvious she was talking to me.

"Ms. McKessie, is everything alright over there?" The science professor asked as half of the class glanced over at Taylor, curiously. Luckily, he wasn't in the middle of a lecture.

"Sorry..." She mumbled. "Everything's fine. Except my partner is a complete..moron." Her words were barely audible but I heard them. And I scowled.

The classes' attention went back to whatever they were doing, along with the professor's.

My eyes looked over to Taylor, who had barely calmed down.

"Look, just forget we even have this conversation." I beckoned, gnawing on my bottom lip.

She still seemed a little furious but kept her volume down. "Troy, have you ever had a girlfriend?"

"Yeah a few," I told her. "There was this girl I met in kindergarten. We got married and stuff..and-"

"Married?"

"Oh, you know..one of those pretend marriages. But we were together for awhile after that." I babbled on-though I sounded like a moron, as she had labeled me earlier. Why the hell was I even continuing? I should just shut my mouth.

If there was one person I always embarrassed myself in front of, it was Taylor McKessie.

"So, the only serious, committed relationship you've had was when you were still in pullups?" Taylor was looking at me increduously.

I scratched my head. Well...sort of. "I just didn't really feel the need to be tied down." Hey, I was just being honest. She better not start yelling again.

"Wow..." Taylor's dusky eyes kind of softened-they were almost poignant when she looked at me this time. It was weird. I thought she would be even more upset.

"My mom always lectured me and told me to...but I was too busy having a good time. I went on dates and hung-out with girls. I just didn't...cling to one." Now I sounded like a player. Today just wasn't my day, I guess.

The class was dying down, knowing that it was almost time to leave. The three hours went by incredibly slow but I spent most of my time talking to Taylor. I easily considered us friends by now. She still wouldn't talk about Chad, but I expected that. I decided I would wait until I was certain they were getting along well. Then I would make her crack..somehow.

I said my goodbyes to her and decided to get some lunch before heading over to Olympia Cafe. Truth betold, I was practically shaking by time I threw on my t-shirt, a new pair of jeans and apron. I attempted to move my hair out of my face, afraid they would yell at me and tell me to cut it off. The mission was impossible. I seriously needed a haircut. And I've been too damn lethargic to go to a salon. I was about to ask a female to just do it for me.

I approached the cafe around five o'clock, the time that Mark told me to come. He explained that I would be trained most of the night by none other than Carrie, Gabriella's friend. Carrie seemed pretty eccentric. The girl was petite, barely five foot three. She had straight, platinum-blonde hair and crazy, hazel eyes. She was absolutely adorable. And she was flirting with me the entire time I was there on Saturday night. Since things weren't exactly going in the right direction with Gabriella, I considered pursuing Carrie. CONSIDERED.

I came in, sucking in some breath, overwrought still. My legs felt like they were going to give out. God, I shouldn't be so anxious. Just because I never had a job before. Just because people usually didn't tell me what to do-minus my parents and occasionally, Chad. And well, Sharpay did a little bit. But that was different. I wasn't accustomed to being a slave to someone, someone demanding me to do this and that. What if I lost my temper and yelled at someone? I mean, I was usually pretty collected but..I've seen problems in the workplace. My parents had a butler..and there were times I just treated him like he was inferior to me. Now I was about to be treated that way. Karma was a bitch.

"Troy! You're here!" It was Carrie who saw me first, running up to me. Her hair was up in a tall pony tail, she was diligent, as she was on Saturday night. I was beginning to understand that maybe she was just a hyper person. "C'mon. You get to meet the crew!"

* * *

**G**

Monday was kind of a dull day, nothing out of the ordinary happened. By time I strolled into work after my classes, I was ready to go back to sleep. The skies had been gloomy and gray all day, the air smelling like a rainstorm was about to hit. New Mexico didn't have a lot of thunderstorms, but when it hit...it was like a hurricane. And it lasted for days.

I tied my hair to the side, my bangs out of my face. The restaurant was pretty busy tonight and I really just wanted to get the night over with. Carrie was obnoxiously wound-up, chatting on about things I didn't care about.

Around five, customers were beginning to leave-most of them being college students taking breaks from their studies. Another words, things became tranquil again. Most of the employees were fooling around, playing pranks on the cooks. I normally stuck with my job. Everybody knew I was one of the best servers-I made plenty of tips. Carrie told me it was because my smile was faultless. I just rolled my eyes. Though I managed to keep my teeth white and had braces when I was young, I considered my smile a bit different. A little crooked even..

"Hey pretty Mami," Hulio, one of our other servers greeted me. He was Spanish; we had a few Spanish employees here at Olympia. But we weren't a minority, thank God.

"Julio, what did I tell you about the nicknames?" I teased as I gave him a half-hug.

He smirked. "You said you love them! How are you though, sweetheart?" He asked. He was about five foot seven with dark hair and matching eyes. His skin was a shade darker than mine, but not by much. With his accent, a lot of girls thought he was rather attractive. He was older though-about twenty five.

"I'm great." I fibbed, playing with the hem of my shirt. Really, I just wanted to go home and go to sleep. The clouds outside completely paralled my mood.

Julio began to start up a conversation but my concentration was lost when the restaurant doors opened. And HE walked in.

I wasn't the only one in the room to see him. Carrie, who was laughing along with one of the cooks, also was looking his way. And then a few of the other servers-Annabelle and Christy were slowly starting to notice him, following Carrie's eyes. And their jaws dropped. Not subtle at all.

He didn't look like one of us. He had a different aura-something that set him apart from everyone else. You could tell he was from California, though his suntan was fading gradually. His hair was so long..he probably would get lectured about that. But he was breathttaking. He kind of manipulated every girl in the room..just by existing. Hell, he stole my heart from the moment I laid my eyes on him. And it was humiliating to say that when I had a boyfriend. Just stealing glances of him made me want to wash my hands...I felt like a filthy whore, guilty for obsessing over someone who wasn't my own.

Carrie was the one who approached him. She pretty much skipped over to him, buoyant as usual. I burned with jealousy as a smile crossed his lips at the sight of her. I could tell she was charming him the best she knew how. Then, she took his arm and directed him towards the kitchen. I imagined she was going to introduce him to everybody.

"Who's that?" Julio asked me, interrupting my trance.

"That's Troy Bolton." I answered, quietly. I was still mooning over his entrance and everybody's reactions.

"Geesh. You see the way the girls are looking at him? Like he's dinner. Loco chicas. Hehe." Julio was a little outlandish himself, giggling. But I had little regard for his comments right now.

"Gabriella." Mark suddenly materialized in front of us. He had a stern look on his face. I didn't like making him angry. "I need you to take a table." He nodded his head towards a solitaire man. The guy looked pretty lonely.

"... Julio, stop talking, more working." He gave Julio a grimace before heading back to the kitchen.

"Geesh." Julio chuckled. "Nazi much?"

"Get to work, chico!" I lectured him, jabbing a finger at his chest.

We both laughed wholeheartedly.

Grabbing a notepad from the host, I greeted the elderly man in the corner. He was studying the menu, his eye-glasses on.

"Hi! I'm Gabriella and I'll be your server tonight." It was like I wasn't even there. "Sir?"

He jumped up. "Oh, sorry missy! Um yes..I'll just have a water for now. I'm still looking." He swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

I never wanted to age, I realized as I headed towards the kitchen. Carrie and Troy were nowhere to be found.

I leaned against one of the counters, sighing heavily. God, I just wanted to get out of here.

I glanced at the old man again. The menu masquerading his face.

I chuckled, but my attention to the man was short-lived. I heard a chorus of giggles erupting from nearby. Looking over my shoulder, I seen Troy approaching a table of girls that were probably about fifteen, if even that. Carrie was behind him, kind of watching him to make sure he did what he was supposed to.

Troy didn't have a problem. He began working his magic immediately, the girls looking as if they didn't know what hit them. A smile never faltered. I actually burned in envy. How was he so personable? He just started and he was already stealing hearts!

"God, that kid is something." I hadn't realized Mark was now standing next to me. He was scrutinizing Troy's actions and the way he was smiling at the guests. He seemed as impressed as the rest of us. Hell, Carrie barely had to train him. "You know, he told me he didn't have any experience. But you said you two worked together before.."

Dammit Troy. Now he was ruining my lies.

"Um, we worked in retail. He never worked in the restaurant." I muttered. "Guess that's what he meant."

"Right..." Mark wasn't completely convinced. "If he keeps this up, I'll be having girls from all over New Mexico lining up..just so he will serve them."

God, he was so right about that.

Ten o'clock was closing time. Mark informed me that Troy and Carrie would be in charge of most of those duties so I could leave early. He could tell I wasn't feeling my best. For some reason, fatigue was all over my face.

I hadn't gotten the chance to speak to Troy at all. He was following Carrie around all night, her lecturing him and explaining everything to him. But half of the time, I found her flirting with him and touching his arm, his back. She was pretty desperate to get his attention. He was flattered, and he responded. But Troy wasn't exactly an open-book. I believed he had more layers. He was a little damaged from his father. I doubt he would just run to Carrie with eager arms. Though, a one-night stand...maybe. I fought the urge to warn her that he was probably a little more concerned about his own conflicts then getting involved with a woman. But I couldn't. I didn't know that...it was only a hunch. And yes, I was a little hopeful too. Hopeful that he wasn't about to rush into a relationship and fall in love. Mostly because I liked hopelessly daydreaming about him. He was fun to look at...

Vic had been texting me all night. He was at work..but work wasn't really 'work'. He had a lot of free time. This infuriated me from time-to-time. Though he worked in a factory, a whooping forty hours a week (I worked more at my diner), it seemed he was a bit lazy. The guy slept a lot and often complained about the intense work he had to do. I just shook my head and withheld my inner thoughts. It would just result in an argument. He was being nice tonight though...as he had been all weekend. I wasn't going to provoke him to go back to the mean, insensitive Vic.

I stalked out of the restaurant, greeting the gorgeous breeze with happiness. I actually had a huge smile on my face. The weather was about sixty-five degrees. It was so serene. The stars were very bright tonight, and the moon was huge, it's light reflecting on the city.

"Hey!" A throaty voice called. Masculine and...well, pleasing to the ears.

Troy condensed from behind me. I wasn't sure whether he had already closed up or if he was just saying goodbye. Still, the moonlight played upon his bright blue eyes in the obscurity. And he was more of a dream than the stars themselves.

"Hey, how was your first day?" I asked, giving him a small smile as the wind took control of my hair.

"Awesome, everybody's so nice. And..." Troy grinned, proud of himself as he took a handful of bills out of his pocket. They were wrinkled, but the stack was quite large.

"Wow." I breathed. "You did well tonight."

"Eighty bucks isn't bad." He responded. "I won't starve after all." He definitely was one for the dramatics.

I couldn't help but laugh lightly as I swatted at his arm. However, I didn't realize how flirtacious that was of me. I flushed.

"How much do you usually make?" He inquired, cooly.

"I make..a decent amount." I answered, hesitantly. "I'm one of the diner's favorite servers."

"I heard about that."

I glanced at him. "Oh. Really?"

"Yeah, you're a legend." He smiled, knowingly. "But I'm going to give you some healthy competition."

My heart raced in my chest for some reason as he gave me a rather brassy smirk. I was never really attracted to arrogance, and usually it turned me off. But Troy didn't come off as egotistical at all. And right now, my body felt like it was in a prison, an uncomfortable sauna. I longed to be with the man standing in front of me. And that was reprehensible. I had only felt this way one time before in my life...and it didn't end so well.

* * *

Author's Note: OK, so don't kill me. I enjoyed writing the hug between Gabriella and Troy very much though! I hope you enjoyed that scene. There will be some infidelity involved, simply because Gabriella can't deny her attraction towards Troy. However, there will be no cheating involved! As you can tell, there was an incident before though, one that Gabriella very much regrets. Gabriella is not the angel in this story, I will warn you. She will make a few mistakes here and there...as will Troy. But in life, people are flawed so I hope you will forgive them. (Vic's made a few himself). I will not get into that until later on in the story. Please shoot me a review, let me know how I am doing. Very appreciative towards your favorites/follows/etc. Any criticism helps right now! Next chapter should be up soon...thanks again! And I'm thinking about posting a playlist of the music I've been listening to that inspires me to write this. What do you think?


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